Nearly half of the revolutionary united front ruf, and a quarter of the governmental armed forces consisted of children aged 814 years old. No truth commission in the past has produced such a report. Reviewed by emma leonard the revolutionary united front ruf in sierra leone fought a bitter and bloody civil war against the sierra leonean government throughout the 1990s. This article examines the factors which have brought children into social movements challenging those wielding political power in sierra leone. Child soldiers from a legal perspective a literature based case study of the democratic republic of congo, sierra leone and uganda. Reintegration of former child soldiers world reliefweb. President bio and vice president jalloh together with officials from ministries, departments, and agencies, donated 3 months of their salaries to eliminate school fees for more than 2 million students in primary and secondary education. Truth and reconciliation commission report for the children. Download warrelated sexual violence in sierra leone sierra leones decadelong conflict of the 1990s and onward was marked by an extraordinary level of brutal human rights abuses, including summary killings, sexual violence against women and girls, abductions, amputations, and the. Investigating psychosocial adjustment of former child. Pdf on jan 1, 2004, susan shepler and others published globalizing child soldiers in sierra leone find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. The book is engaging and compelling, bringing forth the voices and experiences of hundreads of child soldiers from around the world, including angola, sierra leone, colombia, uganda, sri lanka, and afghanistan. Child soldiers is a remarkable insight into the inner workings of armed groups in sierra leones 19912002 war. Pact to end use of children in war africa renewal the united nations.
This is the first prospective study to investigate psychosocial adjustment in male and female former child soldiers ages 1018. Findings on the worst forms of child labor sierra leone. During the civil war in sierra leone, while rich families could afford to send their children. Students use a phone, tablet or laptop to search online about the people of sierra leone, their language and customs, their flag and coat of arms, their money and stamps, their mountains and rivers, their wild animals. Child soldiers mike wessells mike wessells, a professor of psychology at randolphmacon college in virginia, is a former president of the division of peace psychology of the american psychological association. Impact of ebola experiences and risk perceptions on mental. From child soldier to regular pioneer 2014 yearbook. Sierra leone endured a brutal civil conflict from 19922002, characterized by the use of child soldiers some reports allude to approximately 10,000 active in the country throughout the conflict and genderbased sexual violence perpetrated by rebel forces, government troops, and, in some instances, peacekeepers. Apr 01, 2011 child soldiers is a comprehensive and thoughtprovoking examination of the subjective experiences of former child soldiers during sierra leone s brutal armed conflict. Similarly, the loss of a caregiver was associated with elevated anxiety and depression, among males but not among females. Refworld child soldiers global report 2001 sierra leone. The scsls transcripts and judgments reveal that the soldiering experience was highly gendered for both.
Child soldiers is a comprehensive and thoughtprovoking examination of the subjective experiences of former child soldiers during sierra leones brutal armed conflict. The special court for sierra leone scsl was the first international criminal tribunal to prosecute and convict individuals for the war crime of recruitment and use of child soldiers. Child soldier recruitment in the liberian civil wars. By the time the end of the war was officially declared, on 18 january. The rehabilitation of child soldiers in sierra leone. Using the choice boardlearning menu, students will pick one of four options to create products. Major phil ashby is a commandotrained officer in the british royal marines. Interventions to promote reintegration of traumatized youth conscripted as child soldiers, pp.
The special court for sierra leone scsl issued an indictment against the highcommand of the ruf. We assessed symptoms of anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder ptsd in the general population in sierra leone after over a year of outbreak. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the complex situation of child soldiers. Concern about child soldiers grew in the 1990s, with the conflict in sierra leone in particular providing many iconic images of a child soldier. Child soldiers in the civil war in sierra leone request pdf. Article information, pdf download for coping with the trauma of war. Williams professor of sociology at the department of education and social science, university of central lancashire, preston, uk pages 7382. This book examines the complex and underresearched relationship between recruitment experiences and reintegration outcomes for child soldiers. Global discourses of youth and reintegrating child soldiers in sierra leone, journal of human. Memoirs of a boy soldier 2007 is a memoir written by ishmael beah, an author from sierra leone. Jul 16, 2014 one of the hallmarks of ruf tactics was the abduction and military use of children. Innovation in the prevention of the use of child soldiers. Uppsala university network on humanitarian assistance network on humanitarian. He has done extensive consulting on conflict resolution and healing the wounds of war, particularly in sierra leone and angola.
Child soldiers in sierra leone refers to the roughly 10,00014,000 children who fought. This paper describes the methodology employed in two studies into the psychosocial outcomes of former child soldiers. N child soldiers from a legal perspective a literature based. Childhood deployed examines the reintegration of former child soldiers in sierra leone. Facts about child soldiers in sierra leone borgen project. From 1991 to 2002, sierra leone was embroiled in a devastating civil war, fought primarily between the revolutionary united front ruf and sierra leone army sla. A child soldier or a child associated with an armed force group, according to the paris principles in 2007, is any person, 18 years of age or younger, who is or has been recruited or used by an armed group in any capacity united nations international childrens emergency fund unicef, 2007. One of the hallmarks of ruf tactics was the abduction and military use of children. One of the books strengths is denovs careful articulation of the historical and contemporary factors underlying the conflict. Philippines, rwanda, sierra leone, sri lanka and uganda. Ishmael beah, a former child soldier from sierra leone, elaborated. Families families can contribute to child soldiering due to poverty, or cultural or religious beliefs. Nov 22, 2006 child soldiers and disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration in west africa. Child soldiers, slavery, and the trafficking of children.
Ishmael beahs story tears your heart to pieces and then forces you to put it back together again, because if beah can emerge from such horror with his humanity in tact, its the least you can do. A total of 273 former child soldiers 29% females were assessed for depression and anxiety by using the hopkins symptoms checklist, and for hostility, confidence, and prosocial attitudes by using an instrument developed for use with sierra leonean child soldiers. Some lessons for social workers in wartorn societies, social work education 252. In africa, they were victims of child soldiering in sierra leones 11year civil war, which ended in 2002.
Sierra leone has a huge substance abuse problem where substances such as alcohol, tobacco and sedatives, are widely used. To investigate the associations of war and postconflict factors with mental health among sierra leone s former child soldiers as adults. In certain societies, children are considered adults from the age of 14 or 15. To see a young child with a machine gun or a rocket launcher is to look at a deeply incongruous and ambiguous image of childhood. It is analytically sophisticated and based on solid and innovative field research. During the war, they were forced to fight for survival, even involved with killing and other forms of violence. Pdf on jan 1, 2003, susan shepler and others published educated in war. Based on eighteen months of participantobserver ethnographic fieldwork and ten years of followup research, the book argues that there is a fundamental disconnect between the western idea of the child soldier and the individual lived experiences of the child soldiers of sierra leone. States vow to spare no effort in freeing child soldiers. Many interviewees in the documentary are the exchild soldiers, who provide detailed evidence of their serving as child soldiers. I was one of those child soldiers and i lived in a world where your best friend could kill you because his own life. The study began in sierra leone in 2002 and was designed to examine both risk and protective factors in psychosocial adjustment.
This chapter examines the narratives that emerged from the scsl with respect to boy and girl soldiers. Remaking child soldiers in sierra leone is a finely crafted ethnography of different reintegration trajectories and programs for child soldiers in the aftermath of sierra leones civil war in the 1990s. Reminiscences of a former child soldier africa renewal. Findings on the worst forms of child labor sierra leone u. During sierra leones decadelong civil war, thousands of children. Social navigation and power in postconflict sierra leone. Comes in ai, eps, pdf, svg, jpg and png file formats. Drawing upon indepth interviews and focus groups with former child soldiers of sierra leones rebel revolutionary united front, myriam denov compassionately examines how child soldiers are initiated into the complex world of violence and armed conflict. In 2018, sierra leone made a minimal advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor.
But they describe a world of atrocities committed against children and sometimes by children. Child soldiers in sierra leone refers to the roughly 10,00014,000 children who fought between 1991 and 2002 in the sierra leone civil war. Very useful as you can prepare different study materials. Pdf on sep 1, 2001, dyan mazurana and others published child soldiers find, read and. For a number of reasons, sierra leoneans understand child soldiering quite differently. The construction of gender in child soldiering in the. The atrocities committed during the recent civil wars in sierra leone, somalia, uganda, and different parts of africa, contributed to shaping and framing the image of child soldiers as an african phenomenon. Child soldiers in sierra leone and the problems of demobilisation, rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Child soldiers and disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration in west africa. Isbn 0954162420 the coalition to stop the use of child soldiers was formed in may 1998 by leading nongovernmental organizations to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers, both boys and girls, to secure their demobilization, and to promote their reintegration into their. Oct 10, 2007 during the civil war in sierra leone, more than one million children were displaced, and 25,000 children some as young as eight years old were abducted and forced to become members of armed groups. The book is a firsthand account of beahs time as a child soldier during the civil war in sierra leone 1990s. Reflections from a former child soldier turned bike rider.
Child soldiers, slavery, and the trafficking of children by. Vector maps are great because theyre easily editable. A survey of programmatic work on the involvement of children in armed conflict in cote divoire. Memoirs of a child soldier by ishmeal bea gives students voice and choice in learning all about the history and culture of sierra leone. It looks at time spent in the group, issues of cohesion, identification, affiliation, membership and the post demobilization experience of return, and resettlement. Childhood deployedexamines the reintegration of former child soldiers in sierra leone. Integrating mental health into postconflict rehabilitation.
To see a young child with a machine gun or a rocket launcher is to look at a deeply incongruous and. From child soldier to regular pioneer i was 16 years old when rebel soldiers forced me to join their army. Jun 01, 2002 download warrelated sexual violence in sierra leone sierra leones decadelong conflict of the 1990s and onward was marked by an extraordinary level of brutal human rights abuses, including summary killings, sexual violence against women and girls, abductions, amputations, and the use of child soldiers. Investigating psychosocial adjustment of former child soldiers in sierra leone and uganda. During the civil war in sierra leone, more than one million children were displaced, and 25,000 children some as young as eight years old were abducted and forced to become members of armed groups. I fought many battles and committed terrible atrocities. Mar 31, 2009 this book is a must read for anyone interested in the complex situation of child soldiers.
A second strength is her use of giddenss structuration theory the constitution of society, polity. Child soldiers by myriam denov overdrive rakuten overdrive. Sierra leone has only three drug rehabilitation centres. Susan shepler child soldiers in sierra leone page 1. My name is mohamed sidibay and i was born in sierra leone, a beautiful country on the coast of west africa. Popular news media tells us little about the children behind the guns or the complexity of their wartime and post. A child soldier is a human being less than 18 years old, recruited by an army or simply participating in an armed conflict. Background the mental health impact of the 20142016 ebola epidemic has been described among survivors, family members and healthcare workers, but little is known about its impact on the general population of affected countries. Mike wessells mike wessells, a professor of psychology at randolphmacon college in virginia, is a former president of the division of peace psychology of the american psychological association. Truth and reconciliation commission report for the.
Drawing upon indepth interviews and focus groups with former child soldiers of sierra leone s rebel revolutionary united front, myriam denov compassionately examines how child soldiers are initiated into the complex world of violence and armed conflict. A long way gone hits you hard in the gut with sierra leones unimaginable brutality and then it touches your soul with unexpected acts of kindness. Denovs work challenges conventional wisdom and will be an indispensable component in debates about childrens roles in recent conflicts. These child soldiers are described simultaneously as nonhuman, victims, perpetrators, killing machines, and pirates. The role of caregivers and their awareness of the violence adolescents experienced during the war. The disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of child. Child soldiers global report 2008 coalition to stop the use of child soldiers most child soldiers are between the ages of and 18, though many groups include children aged 12 and under.
Approaching reintegration as social practice, shepler traces the local deployment of globally circulating discourses of childhood and child rights. Currently, over 300,000 children are serving as child soldiers in fifty countries in every region of the world. I was 16 years old when rebel soldiers forced me to join their army. Attempting to move beyond the narrow depictions, this paper explores the realities of a cohort of child soldiers in sierra leone and their experiences of armed conflict. Save the children suede, west africa regional office. Beah ran away from his village at the age of 12 after it was attacked by rebels, and he became forever separated from his immediate family. They supplied me with drugs and alcohol, and i often fought in a drugcrazed state. The book is engaging and compelling, bringing forth the voices and experiences of hundreads of child soldiers from around the world, including angola, sierra leone, colombia, uganda, sri. One child rights specialist reported that, in a conversation with a military commander about child soldiers in liberia, the officer declared that children with education, those that can read and. Reintegration of former child soldiers in sierra leone. Use of child soldiers and its founding member organizations. Nowhere has this been more evident than in sierra leone during its 11year civil war. N child soldiers from a legal perspective a literature.
This report is ground breaking in other respects, including the participation of representatives of childrens groups in its content, language and design. In sierra leone and elsewhere, former child soldiers suffer nightmares, intense sadness, intrusive thoughts, and recurring violent images. Pdf the social and cultural context of child soldiering in sierra. Mar 01, 2016 sierra leone endured a brutal civil conflict from 19922002, characterized by the use of child soldiers some reports allude to approximately 10,000 active in the country throughout the conflict and genderbased sexual violence perpetrated by rebel forces, government troops, and, in some instances, peacekeepers. Based on eighteen months of participantobserver ethnographic fieldwork and ten years of followup. New estimates on child malnutrition for the indicators of stunting, wasting, severe wasting, and overweight released by unicef, who and the world bank, to describe the magnitude and patterns of malnutrition in children under 5 around the world. About 90% of admissions to the countrys only psychiatric hospital are due to drug and alcohol related illnesses. This report discusses the relationship between mental health care and postconflict rehabilitation in sierra leone and liberia. Jul 15, 2010 this is the first prospective study to investigate psychosocial adjustment in male and female former child soldiers ages 1018. Paper for the prio sponsored workshop on techniques of violence in civil w. This civil war garnered international attention for its blatant use of child soldiers and for the skyrocketing of child soldiers in sierra leone.