Youth in combat: Rehabilitation of child soldiers

OpenForum — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:22:59 +0000

A former child soldier from Uganda, Grace Akallo, recently spoke at the UN Security Council about her experiences being abducted, sexually assaulted, and forced to fight for the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) at the age of 16. She described being sent into battle with an AK47 and forced to kill other children who attempted escape. The Security Council is now discussing using stronger methods to stop “repeat offenders” from recruiting children.

It is estimated that 250,000 children, some age 10 or younger, are currently recruited into armed conflicts around the world and used as soldiers, guards, messengers, or sex slaves. Such recruitment of children occurs most often in conflict zones such as Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Sri Lanka. The use of child soldiers has been officially prohibited by a UN treaty ratified by 126 countries since 2002. Children in conflict areas are guaranteed special protection under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention.

It is no surprise that rehabilitating child soldiers is a difficult and lengthy process. Because of the severe trauma they suffer, children who have been in combat require extensive long-term support to be re-integrated into communities, says UNICEF spokesman James Elder. He explains that child combatants “live in a theatre of violence and suffering…Instead of hope, fear defines their childhood.”

Additionally, the crimes of child soldiers, or of the larger group they belong to, can make community re-integration even more difficult. Their role as combatants entails committing violent crimes, and children sometimes join armies out of a desire for revenge. For example, child soldiers in the LRA “were both brutally abused and abusive, killing attempted escapees, captured soldiers, and civilians”. Because of this, child soldiers are often treated no differently by government forces than adult soldiers. When children are released into society, they can face acts of discrimination or revenge from communities that have been affected by violence. Nations must address the concerns of both child soldiers and their victims in attempts at rehabilitation. Some experts even argue that not prosecuting child soldiers can lead to further human rights violations, as commanders may order children to commit the worst crimes because of their immunity.

Dance/movement therapy (DMT) is one new approach to rehabilitation that recently began in Sierra Leone for the Orphan Boys of Koindu, a group of former child soldiers. A psychosocial counseling team integrated healing and purification rites traditionally done in the area with Western psychological techniques to “foster both acceptance and accountability”.

Education and vocational training are also critical elements of rehabilitation, say many experts. Education provides a means for children to make a living and avoid returning to combat, and enhances community. One former child soldier in Sierra Leone explained: “The community becomes happy when they see us engage in productive activities such as schooling, trading, mining, or farming. However, if you are stubborn and unsettled, they get worried.”

No Shelter in Sri Lankan ‘No Fire Zone’

OpenForum — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:25:36 +0000

Internally displaced person in Sri Lanka

Civilians trapped in a government-designated ‘no fire zone’ are facing a humanitarian crisis, according to The Guardian (March 23, 2009). The 25-year-old civil war between the rebel Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan army may be drawing nearer to an end, but the situation remains dire for displaced civilians. Although designated for safe assembly of those fleeing the fighting, this ‘no fire zone’ is no safe haven; over 150,000 people are running short of food, clean water, and medicine, while they are bombarded with shells by the Sri Lankan army.

The rebel territory has shrunk with the advances of the Sri Lankan army, and the Tamil Tigers have forced all civilians under their control to flee with them. Those civilians who make it to a ‘no fire zone’ face the risk of being killed by government shells if they stay or getting shot by rebels if they try to leave. According to Human Rights Watch, civilian casualties have increased significantly since the fall of the Tamil Tigers’ administrative center, Kilinochchi, in early January 2009; The Guardian reports that UN figures show more than 3,000 lives lost since the end of January. In addition to wounds, civilians in the conflict zone are at risk of dying from disease and malnutrition, which could be prevented if more medical supplies and facilities were available. There are only three rudimentary medical facilities in one of the ‘no fire zones,’ with a UN estimate of 5,000 patient visits a day.

According to a recent Human Rights Watch report, both sides have committed numerous violations of international humanitarian law, including the shelling of hospitals and the Sri Lankan army’s repeated and indiscriminate attacks on civilians in ‘no fire zones.’ Although the government does provide its own aid to civilians, it is dangerously insufficient, and the government’s decision in September 2008 to order most humanitarian agencies out of the northern Vanni region has contributed to the humanitarian crisis. Among other recommendations, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International urge the creation of humanitarian corridors, along which civilians could reach safety during a temporary truce, and urge the government to permit independent media – as well as human rights and aid organizations – into the area.

Health and Human Rights » civil war

Youth in combat: Rehabilitation of child soldiers

No Shelter in Sri Lankan ‘No Fire Zone’