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/
Thursday, January 26, 2012
CNN report on child soldiers, featuring War Child beneficiary Juliet
Bit more in depth look into Juliet's story and child soldiers
LRA Today (continued)
The Protection Plan from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo. This video shows how The LRA have spread to Uganda's surrounding countries of Sudan,DR Congo and Central Africa.
Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery
The "Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery" bill addresses the humanitarian need to intercept the LRA, a Ugandan rebel group led by Joseph Kony that have infamously abducted over 30,000 children, forcing them to become LRA soldiers. The group is additionally identified by their reign of attacks in Iganda, the DR Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. The bill gives the Obama administration 180 days to produce a comprehensive strategy that coalesces multilateral and regional partners to capture top LRA leaders, demobilize child soldiers and protect civilians from rebel attacks; and invest in sustainable peace efforts.
Co-sponsored by Republican and Democrat representatives, the "LRA Disarmament and Northern Ugandan Recovery Act" is the most widely supported legislation focused on sub-Saharan Africa in modern American history. The $20 million bill, awaiting President Barack Obama's signature, was passed with a unanimous vote, a rare and momentous victory for human rights activists.
Stopping Joseph Kony and the LRA
This problem of the LRA has been going on for years and needs to be stopped. Raising awareness and providing information to the world is a method of achieving this. Like with the arab spring information can no long be censored or hidden from the world, exposing these problems in Africa to the world and telling the story is the first step in bringing the situation to an end.
Kony 2012 Teaser from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.
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
Uganda's Faces of Evil!!
The key players in the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)
Joseph Kony - founder and leader of the (LRA)
His top commanders:
Okot Odhiambo
Dominic Ongwen
Raska Lukwiya
Vincent Otti - deputy of Joseph Kony was was executed on Kony’s command in 2007 for his role in peace talks
Bok Abudema - another high profile commander was killed in battle in 2010
How they operate:
The rebels often masquerade as military soldiers, or pounce as villagers gather together for occasions such as church services. They launch vicious attacks, killing the weak and the old with machetes, swords or stones, and cutting off people’s ears, lips and noses to serve as a warning to others. The rebels capture those who can be useful to them, including children strong enough to carry weapons. The captives are tied together and marched to camps where they are violently indoctrinated and turned into soldiers, porters, cooks, or sex slaves. Captives are often forced to kill or rape family members, making it impossible for them to think about returning home. Those who do resist or try to escape are tortured and killed..
By attacking villages and carrying out its notorious vicious attacks, the LRA defies claims that the group is weakening. Rebels also loot villages for food and supplies, and abduct adults and children to fight for them. The attacks also serve to divert military resources towards defending civilians instead of pursuing the rebels.
Children have been affected the most acutely by this conflict, with thousands abducted, used as soldiers and sex slaves, beaten and forced to torture and kill friends, family and innocent people. Those lucky enough to escape the clutches of the LRA deal with ongoing psychological trauma from their experiences, and face huge problems reintegrating back into their communities. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced from their homes and are forced to live in camps with poor sanitation and health facilities. Even those not directly in contact with the LRA suffer the consequences of poor education due to schools being destroyed by rebels and not being able to afford fees.
Joseph Kony - founder and leader of the (LRA)
His top commanders:
Okot Odhiambo
Dominic Ongwen
Raska Lukwiya
Vincent Otti - deputy of Joseph Kony was was executed on Kony’s command in 2007 for his role in peace talks
Bok Abudema - another high profile commander was killed in battle in 2010
How they operate:
The rebels often masquerade as military soldiers, or pounce as villagers gather together for occasions such as church services. They launch vicious attacks, killing the weak and the old with machetes, swords or stones, and cutting off people’s ears, lips and noses to serve as a warning to others. The rebels capture those who can be useful to them, including children strong enough to carry weapons. The captives are tied together and marched to camps where they are violently indoctrinated and turned into soldiers, porters, cooks, or sex slaves. Captives are often forced to kill or rape family members, making it impossible for them to think about returning home. Those who do resist or try to escape are tortured and killed..
By attacking villages and carrying out its notorious vicious attacks, the LRA defies claims that the group is weakening. Rebels also loot villages for food and supplies, and abduct adults and children to fight for them. The attacks also serve to divert military resources towards defending civilians instead of pursuing the rebels.
Children have been affected the most acutely by this conflict, with thousands abducted, used as soldiers and sex slaves, beaten and forced to torture and kill friends, family and innocent people. Those lucky enough to escape the clutches of the LRA deal with ongoing psychological trauma from their experiences, and face huge problems reintegrating back into their communities. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced from their homes and are forced to live in camps with poor sanitation and health facilities. Even those not directly in contact with the LRA suffer the consequences of poor education due to schools being destroyed by rebels and not being able to afford fees.
Child Soldiers in Uganda
Most of the troubles in Uganda are primarily in the North in the Acholi Region and the Karamoja region of Uganda. In the Acholi region millions of people are forced to flee from their homes and villages because of the governments conflict with Joseph Kony's 'Lords Resistance Army'(LRA). The Karamoja region has been affected by years of tribal violence. cattle raiding causes violence between families and villages and due to climate change and the decrease of natural resources the violence continues and is devasting lives of children and their families.
The start of this video shows briefly child soldiers in Uganda and the rest is how warchild has contributed to helping these children to a better future.
(www.warchild.org.uk)
The start of this video shows briefly child soldiers in Uganda and the rest is how warchild has contributed to helping these children to a better future.
(www.warchild.org.uk)
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