space.template.Child+Soldiers

 __Child Soldiers__

**Recruitment** ** and life as a child soldie ** **r**

During the 10 year civil war in Sierra Leone more than 10,000 child soldiers were forced to fight or suffer a consequence such as death or becoming a sex slave. The RUF (Revolutionary United Front) and the Army would kill the young boy's family, leaving the child with nothing but the option of joining either the RUF or Army. They are then whisked away to a camp to be shown the ropes and fed confidence such as "You are a man now, you are fighting for peace". The training at the camp usually goes on for 2-3 months. The initiation into the group is usually having to kill or maim those who have attempted to flee. The child soldiers would have to fight in the front lines because they are easy to minipulate and the generals and lieutenants in charge would force the children to take various drugs( cocaine, marijuana, etc.) to keep them wired and furious so they would shoot anything in sight. The younger, smaller children are usually given AK-47s so they don't fall over due to the weight. Their main goal was to "see blood", they shot everyone for various reasons; to obtain ammunition, food, valuables, etc.

[|Child Soldier's Stories]


 * Personal Stories **

"I was a small boy, 12 years old, and I was going to school when the rebels captured me and a lot of my friends. They caught my mother and father, and then killed my father in my presence. Then they went with us to the bush to go and train how to fight." "We were called the Small Boys' Unit (SBU). They sent us to go and loot. They trained us how to load and fire guns including the AK-47. Whether attacking the government forces or civilian towns, we would take the guns." "Normally they sent us ahead to go and spy on a place, and then attacked it later. Most of those guns they used were AK-47 because the AK-47 is the most popular gun." "Once they took us to a jungle in Eastern Province, and I saw a lot of guns, mostly AK47s, and some heavy artillery - G3, FN [both rifles] and RPG [rocket-propelled grenades], you know. I panicked because I had never seen such an amount of weapons before." "Our commanders explained to us that they got them from the Liberians, some said they got them from soldiers they killed, and from Guinea." "Our commanders instructed us to fight to defend ourselves. So I was handling my AK-47 with this in mind. I cannot remember how many people I killed. I was not really intending to do so but for the fact that I was holding this weapon to defend myself." "If you don't fight to kill, whether anybody's coming, whether enemy or friend, if they kill you, they or your commander will leave your body there and go." "That is why I defended myself. I killed a lot of people. I feel so bad now that I am in the town, training people for skilled jobs. I feel so discouraged for the fact that I have been killing people, so sad for the lives that I have dislodged. May God have mercy upon me."
 * Sangeba lived in Sierra Leone and was captured by the Rebels.** **This story was originally published by the British Broadcasting Company**

What Is the Government doing?
A major program that helps former child soldiers is called The Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants which was formed by the United Nations. The main aim of the DDR program was to assist the government in stabilizing the region and ensuring peace within the nation. The objective was to disarm combatants and reintegrate them back into society to ensure peace and development of the nation . To join the program there were numerous requirements that are listed below.There have been 24 of these camps formed in Africa since 1992 and many new camps have been formed in Sierra Leon, Ivory Coast, and The Democratic Republic of Congo, have disarmed thousand of combatants, but these programs remain poorly funded, and a lack of research has prevented developing better rehabilitation programs. The United Nations is officially the leader in most single-country DDR programs in Africa, but various nongovernmental organizations and aid groups, are also typically involved. In Liberia, the UNICEF leads child DDR which is intended for combatants aged seventeen and younger.

The Sierra Leone Scouts Association, through the support of UNICEF, established a 'Child Ex-combatant Rehabilitation Center in 1995. With the help of UNICEF, they were able to improve the facilities in the camp by building six additional dormitories, toilet and showers a small hall, kitchen, a store and a playground. This facility was used to house up to 60 young boys and girls at a time, who had been involved in the war but had since either escaped or been handed over by the warring factions following negotiations. The project involved using the Scout Method to influence a positive change in the lives of these traumatized children, many of whom had been Scouts before their abduction. Each former child-soldier stayed in the camp for a minimum period of 3 months, during which time they follow a rehabilitation program. There were 12 professional Scout leaders involved in the daily supervision, supported by specialized personnel from UNICEF including counselors and a doctor on site. The daily provision of food, fuel, clothing, educational and recreational material was provided by UNICEF.

The International Rescue Committee helped 1,500 children in Uganda be reunited with their families. They also helped 100 soldiers that fought in the RUF giving them education, social skills, and helping with their psychological problems such as PSTD, and depression. The IRC also helped in Indonesia to help raise their school attendance in order to help fix their population.


 * ===RUF/ Paramilitary group===
 * ===Armed Forces of Sierra Leone===
 * ===Civil Defense Force===

AND

 * ===Present acceptable proof of participation in the armed conflict including:===
 * ===Servicable weapon by each combatant===
 * ===Presentation of a group weapon and munitions===

OR

 * ===Be a underage combatant, accompanying a minor, or any participant under the age of 18 presenting themselves associated with any of the groups above.===