Week 3, Blog 5 Child Soldiers

Explore the issue of child soldiers and explore some of the barriers to ending the conflict. What are some of the major challenges former child soldiers face as they attempt to reintegrate with their societies?

The child soldiers have been not only abducted and taken away from their families, but they have been tortured, brain washed, exposed to genocide, and forced to kill. These are not natural children (Russel, Bailey, Poole, 2006). The films were brilliant and moving. I’ve heard about child soldiers but that was the first time I really could see what they were enduring. It was earth shattering. I applaud the three young videographers for taking the risk to document these atrocities and bring them to the light. Without the ability to show these issues there would have been virtually no coverage and no pressure placed on the international court of law to address this conflict.

There were quite a few issues that would strike me in regards to the children soldiers being reintegrated into their villages. The children have been taught to kill from the time they could hold a gun. They have seen the power that comes from that ability and may have become desensitized to murder. If these children are an unable to have empathy for their victims the plight of the country could continue in random killings caught up in a child’s whim.

Another issue the children need addressed is their safety. The government did not appear to have security or a safe haven that protected escapees. I know the war is complex and the objective of Kony’s was to overthrow the government, yet I did not see within the documentaries the government protecting their people. The government did appear for the peace talks but that was the extent of their participation that I witnessed (Russel, Bailey, Poole, 2008).

It’s estimated that more than 30,000 children were abducted and forced to fight in Joseph Kony’s “Lord’s of the Resistance Army” also known as the LRA (Russel, Bailey, Poole, 2006). The staff that’s needed to facilitate the thousands of children needing reintegration may not be available especially in the remote villages where some of the children are from. These children in my opinion have suffered significant trauma and not only need medical attention for physical ailments but the government has a daunting task of addressing the mental health needs of these youth.

I had the chance to view additional material on Invisible Children’s website (www.invisiblechildren.com) and I was in awe. They are doing an amazing job. I believe the vision that those three young college students Jason, Bobby and Laren had in 2003 was exactly what was needed for that area. By raising awareness and creating a platform for the issue to be discussed they have been able to affect change.

Their story shows that no matter what your age or amount of money you can make a difference. What they had they gave. They had time and they had talent. They created a voice for thousands of children that didn’t have one and have become advocates to the Northern region of Uganda and expanding.

Russel, J, Bailey, B. & Poole, L. (Creators). (2006, April 7) Invisible Children [Google video]. Retrieved July 22, 2010 from http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3166797753930210643

Russel, J, Bailey, B. & Poole, L. (Creators). (2008) The Rescue: Full [vimeo]. Retrieved June 16, 2011 from http://vimeo.com/3400420