Showing posts with label child soldiers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label child soldiers. Show all posts
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Child Soldiers in Uganda
It is now over one year since peace talks between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance began in Sudan. A year later little has changed and people are still suffering, especially women and children.
The endless war in northern Uganda has affected mostly women and children. Many women have become widows as a result of the rebels killing their husbands. Consequently, they are overloaded with the heavy responsibility of looking after orphans.
And women do not have time to rest. They wake up early in the morning to find ways of feeding their children, with whom they have to move long distances in search of food. At the end of the day, they come back very tired, and so stressed and frustrated that they cannot sleep at night.
The majority of women are suffering due to the loss of their husbands and relatives. They look for money to take their children to school yet they have no proper source of income, nobody to give them a hand, because almost everybody finds herself in the same situation.
Children in the aftermath of war
The SOS Social Centre in Gulu supports over 250 children and mothers in the community who have been affected by the civil war with counseling, and medical, nutritional and educational support. Former child soldiers also receive counseling.
Education, health care and employment are human rights. Due to poverty, illness and the political unrest in the area, the number of children without the support of their natural family is increasing steadily and SOS Children is constantly developing its approach to child care in order to meet these changing needs.The aim of our “Family Strengthening Programmes” and SOS Social Centres is to respond realistically and effectively to the situation of orphans, vulnerable children and their families and to prevent child abandonment. Through skills training, literacy classes, education, counseling and improved nutrition the families know they can become independent, self-reliant and confident in their own ability to provide for the children in their care. Ultimately the communities want to care for their children.
The Social Centre opened in June 2002 and currently provides all the services mentioned above to 250 children and female guardians/mothers. The parents/guardians are also supported with training in agriculture and tailoring, for example, and those who want to set up small businesses are offered business training and micro loans; they will ultimately be more able to financially and emotionally support the children in their care and this lessens the risk of child abandonment. We also run a day-care centre for 50 children from single-parent families here, and the SOS Medical Centre, which is part of the SOS Social Centre, cares for 60-80 patients per day (roughly 25,500 people each year). The patients receive health counseling (for example, counseling for people affected by HIV/AIDS), health education and immunization programmes. Preventative medical services are the mainstay of this clinic, but medicines are also provided to the sick.
Socially, most women have low self-esteem as a result of this war that has left with them lifelong bad memories. Either they have been sexually abused by the rebels and other people taking advantage of war, or they have been abducted from their families and taken to the bush, where they have seen their loved ones being killed. They find themselves lonely and isolated leading to low self-esteem and inability to cope in the society.
Many young women are child mothers who bore children after being forced into marriage by the rebels at a young age. This has affected their own mothers who see their daughters returning home, at the age of 20, with several children. And the social life of the local Acholi women has greatly changed. Some women have become unfaithful while others have unwanted pregnancies and end up either aborting or abandoning the babies on failing to be supported.
Children are traumatised
Children, on the other hand, have been very much abused. They return home from the bush when they are mentally traumatised and unable to live with other normal children. They display inappropriate behaviour to the extent that handling them requires specialists, who are lacking in our community. Men have abandoned their families and children have suffered most. This explains why there is an increasing number of street children in Gulu town and other towns in northern Uganda.
However, despite the overwhelming numbers of needy children, SOS Children is playing a very important role in preventing child abandonment and catering for the orphaned and abandoned children of northern Uganda. For the sake of the women and children of northern Uganda, the peace talks must not fail.
http://www.child-soldier.org/children-in-conflict-child-soldiers-in-uganda
The endless war in northern Uganda has affected mostly women and children. Many women have become widows as a result of the rebels killing their husbands. Consequently, they are overloaded with the heavy responsibility of looking after orphans.
And women do not have time to rest. They wake up early in the morning to find ways of feeding their children, with whom they have to move long distances in search of food. At the end of the day, they come back very tired, and so stressed and frustrated that they cannot sleep at night.
The majority of women are suffering due to the loss of their husbands and relatives. They look for money to take their children to school yet they have no proper source of income, nobody to give them a hand, because almost everybody finds herself in the same situation.
Children in the aftermath of war
The SOS Social Centre in Gulu supports over 250 children and mothers in the community who have been affected by the civil war with counseling, and medical, nutritional and educational support. Former child soldiers also receive counseling.
Education, health care and employment are human rights. Due to poverty, illness and the political unrest in the area, the number of children without the support of their natural family is increasing steadily and SOS Children is constantly developing its approach to child care in order to meet these changing needs.The aim of our “Family Strengthening Programmes” and SOS Social Centres is to respond realistically and effectively to the situation of orphans, vulnerable children and their families and to prevent child abandonment. Through skills training, literacy classes, education, counseling and improved nutrition the families know they can become independent, self-reliant and confident in their own ability to provide for the children in their care. Ultimately the communities want to care for their children.
The Social Centre opened in June 2002 and currently provides all the services mentioned above to 250 children and female guardians/mothers. The parents/guardians are also supported with training in agriculture and tailoring, for example, and those who want to set up small businesses are offered business training and micro loans; they will ultimately be more able to financially and emotionally support the children in their care and this lessens the risk of child abandonment. We also run a day-care centre for 50 children from single-parent families here, and the SOS Medical Centre, which is part of the SOS Social Centre, cares for 60-80 patients per day (roughly 25,500 people each year). The patients receive health counseling (for example, counseling for people affected by HIV/AIDS), health education and immunization programmes. Preventative medical services are the mainstay of this clinic, but medicines are also provided to the sick.
Socially, most women have low self-esteem as a result of this war that has left with them lifelong bad memories. Either they have been sexually abused by the rebels and other people taking advantage of war, or they have been abducted from their families and taken to the bush, where they have seen their loved ones being killed. They find themselves lonely and isolated leading to low self-esteem and inability to cope in the society.
Many young women are child mothers who bore children after being forced into marriage by the rebels at a young age. This has affected their own mothers who see their daughters returning home, at the age of 20, with several children. And the social life of the local Acholi women has greatly changed. Some women have become unfaithful while others have unwanted pregnancies and end up either aborting or abandoning the babies on failing to be supported.
Children are traumatised
Children, on the other hand, have been very much abused. They return home from the bush when they are mentally traumatised and unable to live with other normal children. They display inappropriate behaviour to the extent that handling them requires specialists, who are lacking in our community. Men have abandoned their families and children have suffered most. This explains why there is an increasing number of street children in Gulu town and other towns in northern Uganda.
However, despite the overwhelming numbers of needy children, SOS Children is playing a very important role in preventing child abandonment and catering for the orphaned and abandoned children of northern Uganda. For the sake of the women and children of northern Uganda, the peace talks must not fail.
http://www.child-soldier.org/children-in-conflict-child-soldiers-in-uganda
David Cameron's reponse to Juliets letter
http://www.scribd.com/doc/36061066/Letter-From-David-Cameron-to-Juliet
Juliets letter to British Priminister David Cameron
Dear David Cameron,
My name is Juliet. I come from Northern Uganda. I am visiting London this week because the charity war child helped me to come to England to share my story with school children and politicians. I am weiting to you to appeal for your support for girls like me who have been affected by conflict. when I was 12, I was abducted by rebels from Lord's Resistence Army. I experience many terrible things. I saw many children being killed. We moved long distances, carrying heavy luggage with children on our backs. My friend whom we were abducted together also died. At 14, I was forced into sexual relationship with a man above my age. I got pregnant and had painful labour for two weeks. in the bush there is no hospital. I was not in a position to deliver so the baby died and I got health problems. Eventually I was taken to kenya for treentment and from there I planned my escape.
I was lucky and i managed to get away. I made it back to my family and got help to rebuild my life. many people and organisations helped me including The Christian Counseling Fellowship and WarChild Uk who helped me back to school, get medical support and counselling.
when I was in the bush I missed school for 6 years but alwys had the desire to go back to school. I now joined the school that was founded to help children who have been affected by war including child mothers. the school has a day care centre so girls with babies can still study and breastfeed during break times. Expectant mothers get medical support from school.
This is the only school in Uganda like this, without this school, girl mothers and former girl soldiers would not be able to be in education. Returning to studies after a long time away was very difficult but I am making it. I am Head Girl and I hope to continue to university to study law.
I want to be a lawyer so I can defend girls who have been sexually abused and to bring men who abuse to justice.
Many girls in northern Uganda and other countries affected by conflict all over the world have experienced the same situation that I went through. Girls suffer most in the war. Girls and many young woman are making up more than half the people in these countries. I appreciate the UK government for their kindness upon the children of northern Uganda. I thank you for giving money to help my country and I ask that your money reaches girls affected by conflict so the impact of you will be greater as more people will be helped.
When you meet the United nations this September to talk about developement in poor countries, please remember us girls who went through conflict. We can get great thing if supported in education.
I have never forgotten about the children and girls who are still in the bush. I also appeal to you to find a way to relaease the girls and children who are still in the bush with the LRA in the Demcratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa Republic and South Sudan. They should come back home and be supported with studies. This is an international problems and I ask you to take international leadership to stop this injustice which is still carrying on.
I request your support to help girls and v=children like me. We should be in school and in a position to achieve in life. We should not be forced into war and early marraige.
I also give you a present. on the CD is a message from my friends in northern Uganda and also some of the children I met in England.
Thank you very much
Apio Juliet
http://www.flickr.com/photos/warchild/4792633847/in/photostream/
My name is Juliet. I come from Northern Uganda. I am visiting London this week because the charity war child helped me to come to England to share my story with school children and politicians. I am weiting to you to appeal for your support for girls like me who have been affected by conflict. when I was 12, I was abducted by rebels from Lord's Resistence Army. I experience many terrible things. I saw many children being killed. We moved long distances, carrying heavy luggage with children on our backs. My friend whom we were abducted together also died. At 14, I was forced into sexual relationship with a man above my age. I got pregnant and had painful labour for two weeks. in the bush there is no hospital. I was not in a position to deliver so the baby died and I got health problems. Eventually I was taken to kenya for treentment and from there I planned my escape.
I was lucky and i managed to get away. I made it back to my family and got help to rebuild my life. many people and organisations helped me including The Christian Counseling Fellowship and WarChild Uk who helped me back to school, get medical support and counselling.
when I was in the bush I missed school for 6 years but alwys had the desire to go back to school. I now joined the school that was founded to help children who have been affected by war including child mothers. the school has a day care centre so girls with babies can still study and breastfeed during break times. Expectant mothers get medical support from school.
This is the only school in Uganda like this, without this school, girl mothers and former girl soldiers would not be able to be in education. Returning to studies after a long time away was very difficult but I am making it. I am Head Girl and I hope to continue to university to study law.
I want to be a lawyer so I can defend girls who have been sexually abused and to bring men who abuse to justice.
Many girls in northern Uganda and other countries affected by conflict all over the world have experienced the same situation that I went through. Girls suffer most in the war. Girls and many young woman are making up more than half the people in these countries. I appreciate the UK government for their kindness upon the children of northern Uganda. I thank you for giving money to help my country and I ask that your money reaches girls affected by conflict so the impact of you will be greater as more people will be helped.
When you meet the United nations this September to talk about developement in poor countries, please remember us girls who went through conflict. We can get great thing if supported in education.
I have never forgotten about the children and girls who are still in the bush. I also appeal to you to find a way to relaease the girls and children who are still in the bush with the LRA in the Demcratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa Republic and South Sudan. They should come back home and be supported with studies. This is an international problems and I ask you to take international leadership to stop this injustice which is still carrying on.
I request your support to help girls and v=children like me. We should be in school and in a position to achieve in life. We should not be forced into war and early marraige.
I also give you a present. on the CD is a message from my friends in northern Uganda and also some of the children I met in England.
Thank you very much
Apio Juliet
http://www.flickr.com/photos/warchild/4792633847/in/photostream/
Child Soldiers Facts
Child soldiers
The use of children in armed conflict is one of the most atrocious effects of war.
•An estimated 300,000 boys and girls are currently trained for combat or used as porters, spies or sex slaves in conflicts around the world today.
•In northern Uganda, at least 20,000 children have been abducted by the rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) during a ruthless 18-year war.
http://www.rescue-uk.org/in-the-field/how-we-help/children-and-young-people/
The use of children in armed conflict is one of the most atrocious effects of war.
•An estimated 300,000 boys and girls are currently trained for combat or used as porters, spies or sex slaves in conflicts around the world today.
•In northern Uganda, at least 20,000 children have been abducted by the rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) during a ruthless 18-year war.
http://www.rescue-uk.org/in-the-field/how-we-help/children-and-young-people/
CNN report on child soldiers, featuring War Child beneficiary Juliet
Bit more in depth look into Juliet's story and child soldiers
Juliet's story - From Child Soldier to Global Campaigner
Captivity
Juliet’s unborn baby turned out to be her saviour.
Kidnapped by Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels in Northern Uganda when she was just 12 years old, Juliet had no means of escape from the bush where she was being held captive.
At 16 she fell pregnant after being forced to become the ‘wife’ of a rebel commander.
“Soldiers are not allowed to fall in love. If one is caught charming a girl he is killed. Girls are there to be used whenever they want.”
During labour, she was forced to walk for miles as the rebels tried to evade the Ugandan army. The journey caused her son to die before he was even born. So Juliet had to endure an agonising operation to remove the baby.
There was no anaesthetic, just a local doctor and a razor blade.
“If your baby dies you are not supposed to mourn for it. If you do, they will kill you. You have just to go somewhere secretly and cry. When you return, you should look like nothing has happened.”
Escape
After the crude operation Juliet’s health rapidly deteriorated. However, during peace talks between the LRA and the Ugandan Government in 2006 she was given the chance to get hospital treatment in neighbouring Kenya – though an LRA escort had to stay with her at all times.
While in hospital Juliet befriended a nurse who heard her story and helped her to escape.
“When I was packing my bags I felt no fear. All I knew is that I was not going back to that place”
Juliet, with the assistance of the Ugandan Embassy, was then able to board a flight back to the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
Reunion
Juliet now attends a school in Northern Uganda created especially for girls who have missed out on education because of the conflict. She is working hard to catch up on the years of schooling she missed whilst in captivity with the LRA
“When I came back I really wanted to go back to school. Although a terrible thing happened to me when my baby died, it led me to get the chance to escape. It shows that something positive can come from something terrible.”
“If you are not educated, you are nothing.”
Juliet
Juliet now hopes to continue her studies at university and qualify as a lawyer so that she can bring those who have recruited and abused girls to justice. As she points out: “Many girls have been through hardship like me, they are denied an education.”
London
To help Juliet get her voice heard and her plight understood, we brought her to London for a week. We supported her to campaign on behalf of the thousands of girls in northern Uganda who are still being denied an education.
She delivered a personal letter and video message to the Prime Minister, appeared on TV and radio, lobbied politicians and inspired school students with her incredible story and compassionate, positive outlook.
Her impact
Juliet’s letter received a personal response from David Cameron and she was mentioned in a debate in the House of Lords by Lord Alton after meeting him. Audiences across CNN, BBC Radio 4, The BBC World Service and beyond heard her incredible story, and she made a real impact on the lives of the young people she met in the two schools she visited whilst she was here.
Hundreds of school students wrote and signed letters in support of Juliet, and we used those to lobby politicians as part of the Global Campaign for Education and the Millennium Development Goals summit meeting in New York in September.
Juliet hopes her journey - from abducted child soldier to global campaigner - will demonstrate the power of education not only in transforming the lives of individuals but also conflict-affected countries as a whole. As Juliet says, “children who experience terrible things can also achieve great things in life – if they are given an education.”
“I feel like I've changed a lot having met you, and I really am going to strive towards my goals the way you have. You had nothing and yet you fought so hard to gain what you now have and that sense of achievement must be absolutely amazing so I truly hope that I can be as successful as you have been.”
Catherine, a 15 year old student from Calthorpe Park School that met Juliet
Child Soldiers
Facts on Child Soldiers
•There are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world today.
•It is estimated that 40% of all child soldiers are girls. They are often used as 'wives' (i.e. sex slaves) of the male combatants.
•Many rebel groups use child soldiers to fight the government, but some governments also use child soldiers in armed conflict.
•Not all children take part in active combat. Some are also used as porters, cooks and spies.
•As part of their recruitment, children are sometimes forced to kill or maim a family member - thus breaking the bonds with their community and making it difficult for them to return home.
Why are children used as soldiers?
Children are used as soldiers because they are easier to condition and brainwash. They don't eat much food, don't need paying much and have an underdeveloped sense of danger so are easier to send into the line of fire.
As children make up the majority demographic in many conflict-affected countries, there's a constant supply of potential recruits. Due to their size and 'expendability', children are often sent into battle as scouts or decoys, or sent in the first wave to draw the enemy's fire.
What are the effects on children?
The effects on children are felt long after their physical scars have healed and their drug dependencies overcome. Many child soldiers are desensitised to violence - often at a very formative time in their development and this can psychologically damage them for life.
Even when they're set free or escape, many children can't go back home to their families and communities because they've been ostracised from them. They may have been forced to kill a family member or neighbour just so they can never go back. Many girls have babies from their time in the rebel groups and their communities/families don't accept them home.
Most have missed out on school - sometimes for many years. Without an education they have very little future prospects and sometimes return to the rebel groups as they have simply no other way of feeding themselves.
How do child soldiers get recruited?
Some are abducted from their homes and forced to become soldiers
a tactic notoriously used by the Lords Resistance Army.)
A village may be forced to provide a certain number of children as soldiers in exchange for staying safe from attack.
Some children are volunteered by their parents due to extreme poverty and hunger at home.
In some rare cases children volunteer to join the fight because of ideological reasons or to avenge the death of their family.
www.warchild.org.uk
•There are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world today.
•It is estimated that 40% of all child soldiers are girls. They are often used as 'wives' (i.e. sex slaves) of the male combatants.
•Many rebel groups use child soldiers to fight the government, but some governments also use child soldiers in armed conflict.
•Not all children take part in active combat. Some are also used as porters, cooks and spies.
•As part of their recruitment, children are sometimes forced to kill or maim a family member - thus breaking the bonds with their community and making it difficult for them to return home.
Why are children used as soldiers?
Children are used as soldiers because they are easier to condition and brainwash. They don't eat much food, don't need paying much and have an underdeveloped sense of danger so are easier to send into the line of fire.
As children make up the majority demographic in many conflict-affected countries, there's a constant supply of potential recruits. Due to their size and 'expendability', children are often sent into battle as scouts or decoys, or sent in the first wave to draw the enemy's fire.
What are the effects on children?
The effects on children are felt long after their physical scars have healed and their drug dependencies overcome. Many child soldiers are desensitised to violence - often at a very formative time in their development and this can psychologically damage them for life.
Even when they're set free or escape, many children can't go back home to their families and communities because they've been ostracised from them. They may have been forced to kill a family member or neighbour just so they can never go back. Many girls have babies from their time in the rebel groups and their communities/families don't accept them home.
Most have missed out on school - sometimes for many years. Without an education they have very little future prospects and sometimes return to the rebel groups as they have simply no other way of feeding themselves.
How do child soldiers get recruited?
Some are abducted from their homes and forced to become soldiers
a tactic notoriously used by the Lords Resistance Army.)
A village may be forced to provide a certain number of children as soldiers in exchange for staying safe from attack.
Some children are volunteered by their parents due to extreme poverty and hunger at home.
In some rare cases children volunteer to join the fight because of ideological reasons or to avenge the death of their family.
www.warchild.org.uk
Child Soldiers In Uganda
Many thousands of people in the Acholi region in Northern Uganda had to flee their homes during the 20 year insurgency by the rebel group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
At the height of the conflict 87% of the population of Pader district were forcibly moved into Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camps because the government forces could no longer protect them in their villages. It is thought that more than 60,000 children in Uganda were child soldiers.
Since the fighting stopped in 2006 relative security has returned to the region, and the government has ordered people to return to their villages. There were a large number of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) delivering services to people in the camps, but as the population has disbursed, NGOs have withdrawn from the area and families are having to travel further to reach facilities such as schools, hospitals and bore holes.
Lawrence aged 14
Uganda
Lawrence desperately wanted to get into school, it was poverty that kept him out. Poverty and conflict. And the horrific events that took place one afternoon six years ago.
Rebels from the Lord’s Resistance Army descended upon his village one day and took his parents, two brothers and sisters into the bush to execute them. His mum survived but she was seriously wounded and can now do very little physical labour.
Unable to earn a living, she had no choice but to pull Lawrence out of school so he could help out. He had to wake up at 6:30am for a back-breaking daily routine of farm work.
It’s a pretty bleak situation for such a bright kid to find himself in.
When we first met Lawrence he told us: “Without education I have no option but to stay as a farmer. I feel education could brighten my future and I could support my mother fully. But right now it’s not possible.”
With the help and support of warchild and child sponsors, that future is now a real possibility. Donations have helped pay for him to go back to school. It’s no exaggeration to say that this education could well transform his whole life. Now he dreams of becoming a teacher.
(www.warchild.org.uk)
At the height of the conflict 87% of the population of Pader district were forcibly moved into Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camps because the government forces could no longer protect them in their villages. It is thought that more than 60,000 children in Uganda were child soldiers.
Since the fighting stopped in 2006 relative security has returned to the region, and the government has ordered people to return to their villages. There were a large number of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) delivering services to people in the camps, but as the population has disbursed, NGOs have withdrawn from the area and families are having to travel further to reach facilities such as schools, hospitals and bore holes.
Lawrence aged 14
Uganda
Lawrence desperately wanted to get into school, it was poverty that kept him out. Poverty and conflict. And the horrific events that took place one afternoon six years ago.
Rebels from the Lord’s Resistance Army descended upon his village one day and took his parents, two brothers and sisters into the bush to execute them. His mum survived but she was seriously wounded and can now do very little physical labour.
Unable to earn a living, she had no choice but to pull Lawrence out of school so he could help out. He had to wake up at 6:30am for a back-breaking daily routine of farm work.
It’s a pretty bleak situation for such a bright kid to find himself in.
When we first met Lawrence he told us: “Without education I have no option but to stay as a farmer. I feel education could brighten my future and I could support my mother fully. But right now it’s not possible.”
With the help and support of warchild and child sponsors, that future is now a real possibility. Donations have helped pay for him to go back to school. It’s no exaggeration to say that this education could well transform his whole life. Now he dreams of becoming a teacher.
(www.warchild.org.uk)
Monday, January 23, 2012
Invisible Children
About the Invisible Children charity:
Invisible Children: WHO WE ARE from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.
How it started
In the spring of 2003, three young filmmakers traveled to Africa in search of a story. What started out as a filmmaking adventure became much more when Jason, Laren, and Bobby stumbled upon Africa’s longest-running war--a conflict where children were both the weapons and the victims.
They produced the documentary Invisible Children: Rough Cut in 2005. At first they just showed it to their friends and family, but it wasn’t long before millions of people had seen the documentary and knew about the “invisible children.”
In 2006, Invisible Children, Inc., became an official 501(c)3 non-profit.
Who we are
We are storytellers. We are visionaries, humanitarians, artists, and entrepreneurs. We are a generation eager for change and willing to pursue it.
With a U.S. headquarters in San Diego, CA, our programs rely on talented staff, hundreds of committed volunteers, and thousands of young activists who want to use their voices for peace.
We also have offices in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These offices in Gulu and Dungu are primarily managed and operated by staff from LRA-affected communities.
How we make a difference
Half our work happens on the ground in Central Africa, and the other half happens in the United States.
In Central Africa, all of our programming is a partnership between Invisible Children and LRA-affected communities. We focus on long-term goals that enable children to take responsibility for their futures and the futures of their countries. Our programs are carefully developed initiatives that address the need for quality education, mentorships, the redevelopment of schools, and financial stability.
Our work in the United States focuses on advocacy and inspiring America’s youth to “do more than just watch.” We believe that by uniting our voices we can use the systems, influence, and resources of the United States to expedite an end to the conflict.
The LRA today
"The war in northern Uganda has been called the most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today. For the past 23 years, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda (GoU) have been waging a war that has left nearly two million innocent civilians caught in the middle. The GoU's attempt to protect its citizens from this rebel militia has largely failed, resulting in an entire generation of youth that has never known peace."
Joseph Kony leads the LRA. The LRA rebels abduct children and indoctrinate them into their ranks. It is estimated that more than 90% of the LRA’s troops were abducted as children.
The LRA left Uganda in June 2006 when the Juba Peace Talks began. Ever since the peace talks fell apart in 2008, the LRA has been active in the border regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic.
There is a website that gives near real-time updates on LRA location and activity LRACrisisTracker.com
At the moment Uganda's border regions of South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo are experiencing ongoing LRA attacks and abductions. Not only have the LRA been terrorizing Uganda for the past 23 years it is now spreading to bordering countries.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)
The Lord's Resistance Army is a militant and cannibalistic group with a syncretic Christian extreme religious ideology. The group operates in northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Central Africa. The group used to operate mainly in northern Uganda and also in parts of South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the DRC.
The LRA was formed in 1987 and until about 2007 it was engaged in an armed rebellion against the Ugandan government. It is led by Joseph Kony, who proclaims himself the "spokesperson" of God and a spirit medium, primarily of the Holy Spirit, which the group believes can represent itself in many manifestations.
The group is based on a number of different beliefs including local religious rituals, mysticism, traditional religion, Acholi nationalism and Christianity and claims to be establishing a theocratic state based on the Ten Commandments and local Acholi tradition. The LRA is accused of widespread human rights violations, including murder, abduction, mutilation, sexual enslavement of women and children and forcing children to participate in hostilities.
Ideology
The LRA's ideology is disputed amongst academics. Although the LRA has been regarded primarily as a Christian militia, the LRA reportedly evokes Acholi nationalism on occasion.
Robert Gersony, in a report funded by United States Embassy in Kampala in 1997, concluded that "the LRA has no political program or ideology, at least none that the local population has heard or can understand." The International Crisis Group has stated that "the LRA is not motivated by any identifiable political agenda, and its military strategy and tactics reflect this."
IRIN comments that "the LRA remains one of the least understood rebel movements in the world, and its ideology, as far as it has one, is difficult to understand."UPDF Lt. Col. Shaban Bantariza has said that "you can't tell whether they want political power. Its only aim is to terrorize and brutalize the civilian population and to loot their homes."
During an interview with IRIN, Vincent Otti was asked about the LRA's vision of an ideal government, to which he responded,
"Lord’s Resistance Army is just the name of the movement, because we are fighting in the name of God. God is the one helping us in the bush. That’s why we created this name, Lord’s Resistance Army. And people always ask us, are we fighting for the [biblical] Ten Commandments of God. That is true – because the Ten Commandments of God is the constitution that God has given to the people of the world. All people. If you go to the constitution, nobody will accept people who steal, nobody could accept to go and take somebody’s wife, nobody could accept to innocently kill, or whatever. The Ten Commandments carries all this."
In a speech delivered by James Alfred Obita, former Secretary For External Affairs And Mobilisation, and Leader of Delegation of the Lord's Resistance Army, he adamantly denied that the LRA was "just an Acholi thing" and stated that claims made by the media and Museveni administration asserting that the LRA is a "group of Christian fundamentalists with bizarre beliefs whose aim is to topple the Museveni regime and replace it with governance based on the Bible's ten commandments" were false.
In the same speech, Obita also stated that the LRA's objectives are:
1-To fight for the immediate restoration of competitive multi-party democracy in Uganda.
2-To see an end to gross violation of human rights and dignity of Ugandans.
3-To ensure the restoration of peace and security in Uganda.
4-To ensure unity, sovereignty and economic prosperity beneficial to all Ugandans
5-To bring to an end to the repressive policy of deliberate marginalization of groups of people who may not agree with the National Resistance Army's ideology.
The original aims of the group were more closely aligned with those of it's predecesor, the Holy Spirit Movement. Protection of the Acholi population was of great concern because of the reality of ethnic purges in the history of Uganda. This created a great deal of concern in the Acholi community as well as a strong desire for formidable leadership and protection.[47] As the conflict has progressed, fewer and fewer Acholi offered sufficient support to the rebels in the eyes of the LRA.This led to an increased amount of violence toward the non-combatant population, which in turn further alienated them from the rebels.This self-perpetuating cycle led to the creation of a strict divide between Acholis and rebels, a divide that was previously not explicitly present.
However, many would believe that the ideologies of the LRA are nothing but hypocrisy. According to the California based organization, Invisible Children, the LRA is no more than a terrorist group disguising themselves as Christian based. The LRA uses tactics of physical and emotional intimidation to seduce children into joining their forces.
Troop strength
The government of Uganda claims that the LRA has only 500 or 1,000 soldiers in total, but other sources estimate that there could be as many as 3,000 soldiers, along with about 1,500 women and children. The bulk of the soldiers fighting for the LRA are children. According to Livingstone Sewanyana, executive director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, Yoweri Museveni was the first to use child soldiers in this conflict. Since the LRA first started fighting in 1987 they may have forced well over 10,000 boys and girls into combat, often killing family, neighbors and school teachers in the process.
Many of these children were put on the front lines so the casualty rate for these children has been high. They have often used children to fight because they are easy to replace by raiding schools or villages. The soldiers are organized into independent squads of 10 or 20 soldiers.Sudan has provided military assistance to the LRA, in response to Uganda lending military support to the Sudan People's Liberation Army.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord's_Resistance_Army
Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army: a primer
By Elizabeth Flock
President Obama, in a letter to Congress, has authorized the deployment of about 100 U.S. combat forces to central Africa to assist in the fight against the notoriously savage Lord’s Resistance Army.
One of the world's most wanted rebel chiefs, Joseph Kony of the Lord's Resistance Army, seen on TV in 2006. The goal: to track down LRA’s leader, Joseph Kony.
Here’s some things to know about Kony and the group:
- Kony proclaims himself the “spokesperson” of God.
- The group claims to be Protestant, with influences of mysticism. Kony believes he is a medium of the Holy Spirit.
- Kony is on the Specially Designated Global Terrorists list.
- The LRA, a sectarian religious and military group that has operated in northern Uganda and Southern Sudan since 1987. They have since spread their operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. The U.S. Treasury has Kony on its list of “Specially Designated Global Terrorists.”
- Kony’s aunt started the predecessor to the LRA.
- The Post’s William Branigin writes Kony “formed his Lord’s Resistance Army from the remnants of the Holy Spirit Movement, an armed group led by his aunt that fought the Ugandan government in the late 1980s.”
- Responsible for mass human rights violations.
- Since its creation in 1987, the group has engaged in an armed rebellion against the Ugandan government and committed an extraordinary number of human rights violations. Most notably, his troops enter a village, killing the adults and kidnapping the children. The boys are enscripted into the army and the girls are taken as ‘bush wives.’
- Obama notes in his letter that the LRA has “murdered, raped, and kidnapped tens of thousands of men, women, and children in central Africa” and “continues to commit atrocities across the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan that have a disproportionate impact on regional security.”
Why is the US going in there?
In May of 2010, Obama signed a bill committing the United States to help arrest Kony. Kenneth Roth, the director of Human Rights Watch wrote in October of 2010 that Obama needed to put in practice what the president said during his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech: “Force can be justified on humanitarian grounds, as it was in the Balkans.”
What does the LRA want?
The LRA wants to establish a theocratic state based on the Ten Commandments and the tradition of the Acholi people, an ethnic group in northern Uganda.
This three-minute short film was produced by the group Invisible Children, a non-profit organization working to end Kony’s rule.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Why Children Join Armed Forces
Children are forcibly recruited into armed groups in many conflicts but the vast majority of child soldiers are adolescents between the age of 14 and 18 who "volunteer" to join up. However, research has shown that a number of factors may be involved in making the decision to actually join an armed conflict and in reality many such adolescents see few alternatives to enlisting. War itself is a major determinant. Economic, social, community and family structures are frequently ravaged by armed conflict and joining the ranks of the fighters is often the only means of survival. Many youths have reported that desire to avenge the killing of relatives or other violence arising from war is an important motive.
Poverty and lack of access to educational or work opportunities are additional factors - with joining up often holding out either the promise or the reality of an income or a means of getting one. Coupled with this may be a desire for power, status or social recognition. Family and peer pressure to join up for ideological or political reasons or to honour family tradition may also be motivating factors. Girl soldiers have reported joining up to escape domestic servitude or enforced marriage or get away from domestic violence, exploitation and abuse.
reference: http://www.child-soldiers.org/childsoldiers/why-children-join
Facts About Child Soldiers
December 3, 2008
Although there are no exact figures, hundreds of thousands of children under the age of 18 serve in government forces or armed rebel groups. Some are as young as eight years old.
Since 2001, the participation of child soldiers has been reported in 21 on-going or recent armed conflicts in almost every region of the world.
Children are uniquely vulnerable to military recruitment because of their emotional and physical immaturity. They are easily manipulated and can be drawn into violence that they are too young to resist or understand.
Technological advances in weaponry and the proliferation of small arms have contributed to the increased use of child soldiers. Lightweight automatic weapons are simple to operate, often easily accessible, and can be used by children as easily as adults.
Children are most likely to become child soldiers if they are poor, separated from their families, displaced from their homes, living in a combat zone or have limited access to education.
Many children join armed groups because of economic or social pressure, or because children believe that the group will offer food or security. Others are forcibly recruited, "press-ganged" or abducted by armed groups.
Both girls and boys are used as child soldiers. In some countries, like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Uganda, a third or more of the child soldiers were reported to be girls. In some conflicts, girls may be raped, or given to military commanders as "wives."
Once recruited, child soldiers may serve as porters or cooks, guards, messengers or spies. Many are pressed into combat, where they may be forced to the front lines or sent into minefields ahead of older troops. Some children have been used for suicide missions.
Children are sometimes forced to commit atrocities against their own family or neighbors. Such practices help ensure that the child is "stigmatized" and unable to return to his or her home community.
In some countries, former child soldiers have access to rehabilitation programs to help them locate their families, get back into school, receive vocational training, and re-enter civilian life. However, many children have no access to such programs. They may have no way to support themselves and are at risk of re-recruitment
In 2000, the United Nations adopted an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The protocol prohibits the forced recruitment of children under the age of 18 or their use in hostilities. To date, it has been ratified by more than 110 countries.
The ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor prohibits the forced or compulsory recruitment of children under the age of 18 for use in armed conflict. It has been ratified by over 150 countries.
Source URL: http://www.hrw.org/news/2008/12/03/facts-about-child-soldiers
Although there are no exact figures, hundreds of thousands of children under the age of 18 serve in government forces or armed rebel groups. Some are as young as eight years old.
Since 2001, the participation of child soldiers has been reported in 21 on-going or recent armed conflicts in almost every region of the world.
Children are uniquely vulnerable to military recruitment because of their emotional and physical immaturity. They are easily manipulated and can be drawn into violence that they are too young to resist or understand.
Technological advances in weaponry and the proliferation of small arms have contributed to the increased use of child soldiers. Lightweight automatic weapons are simple to operate, often easily accessible, and can be used by children as easily as adults.
Children are most likely to become child soldiers if they are poor, separated from their families, displaced from their homes, living in a combat zone or have limited access to education.
Many children join armed groups because of economic or social pressure, or because children believe that the group will offer food or security. Others are forcibly recruited, "press-ganged" or abducted by armed groups.
Both girls and boys are used as child soldiers. In some countries, like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Uganda, a third or more of the child soldiers were reported to be girls. In some conflicts, girls may be raped, or given to military commanders as "wives."
Once recruited, child soldiers may serve as porters or cooks, guards, messengers or spies. Many are pressed into combat, where they may be forced to the front lines or sent into minefields ahead of older troops. Some children have been used for suicide missions.
Children are sometimes forced to commit atrocities against their own family or neighbors. Such practices help ensure that the child is "stigmatized" and unable to return to his or her home community.
In some countries, former child soldiers have access to rehabilitation programs to help them locate their families, get back into school, receive vocational training, and re-enter civilian life. However, many children have no access to such programs. They may have no way to support themselves and are at risk of re-recruitment
In 2000, the United Nations adopted an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The protocol prohibits the forced recruitment of children under the age of 18 or their use in hostilities. To date, it has been ratified by more than 110 countries.
The ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor prohibits the forced or compulsory recruitment of children under the age of 18 for use in armed conflict. It has been ratified by over 150 countries.
Source URL: http://www.hrw.org/news/2008/12/03/facts-about-child-soldiers
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Amnesty International Ireland
We got in contact with a charity that is involved in a child soldiers campaign, Amnesty International. see what they do here.
We emailed the Irish department and got a reply, they are delighted to hear we are doing a project to raise awareness and funds for child soldiers and are willing to give us information and help on the topic. Therefore any funds we raise from the project will be going to Amnesty International.
We emailed the Irish department and got a reply, they are delighted to hear we are doing a project to raise awareness and funds for child soldiers and are willing to give us information and help on the topic. Therefore any funds we raise from the project will be going to Amnesty International.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
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