on child soldiers

Lately, I have attempted to educate myself on child soldiers. I’ve tried to find out why they’re used, how they’re used and what’s being done about it. I’ve read. I’ve Googled and Wiki-ed and, to be honest, I think I’ve saturated my brain with so much information that it’s become absolutely inflamed with anger about the apathy.

Granted, I’m far from knowing everything that’s going on in the world and the shitty things that are happening in my own city. But this just pisses me off.

Kids, as young as 9 and 10, are being given AK-47’s, are being manipulated into taking drugs and drinking alcohol, and are being trained to kill in order to suit the needs of a man whose main desire is complete and total power. They’re used as pawns. They’re put on the front lines in order to distract and deter the enemy from attacking. They’re used in order as dummies to test fields for land mines. They’re used as sexual objects and for menial tasks like laundering, cooking, cleaning, and whatever else is needed in the bush.

If they’re freed from the bush, attempts are made in order to reintegrate them into society. But reintegrate them into what society exactly? These societies aren’t exactly stable or adequate. Some communities don’t even accept these little boys and girls, especially if they’re pregnant, have children, or have killed. The stigma surrounding these children often forces them back into the bush and into the camps and beds of these warlords. At least they are somewhat protected and respected there.

Romeo Dallaire urges people to think about the potential these soldiers could hold. While they’ve gone through immense traumas and psychological pain, the tools they’ve unintentionally learned could help foster a new generation of youth. Young women that have led troops into combat could assert these leadership skills in more productive and beneficial ways. In studies regarding child soldiers, young girls are often ignored; they’re often absent from these studies. When they’re written about, they are almost always talked about as victims of rape and warlords’ sex objects and wives. But what about their potential? Imagine the power of a young woman who battles through the demons caused by this trauma. Imagine the strength.

I’m not saying that every kid that escapes the bush will be able to harness what they’ve learned in a positive way. I’m not even saying that they should. I’m just saying that the possibilities are absolutely endless. Nelson Mandela was jailed for 27 years. The pain he must have went through is unsurmountable. Yet, in 1994, he led South Africa out of apartheid and inspired the world to seek equality.

Is it idealistic to imagine a world for these kids that is better? Maybe. But a former child soldier has said, “The reason why we believe that change is possible is not because we are idealists but because we believe we have made it, so other people can make it as well.”

If you’re reading this, I really hope that you don’t forget it. I hope you don’t move on to the next thing because this is so important. You’re probably young and feel in your gut that you have the ability to change the world. Everyone has that gut feeling every once in a while. Change the status quo and make people care. That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to make you care about the boy and girl somewhere in Africa who is, at this moment, carrying an AK-47 ready and willing to kill someone with it. Or about the young girl in Asia or Eastern Europe who was kidnapped, pumped with drugs and forced into prostitution. Or that teenager in the States or Canada who, because there was no other option, turned to dealing drugs for a gang to make some cash.

Realize your potential so that some kid can have the chance to realize theirs.

“To the homeless, the poor, the beggar, the victim of AIDS and Alzheimer’s, the old, and the humble, the prisoners in their prison and the wanderers in their dreams, it is our sacred duty to stretch out our hand and say, ‘In spite of what separates us, what we have in common is our humanity.’”
- Elie Wiesel

[If you want to learn more, I urge you to check out Invisible Children and/or Dallaire’s Child Soldiers Initiative. Read his book: They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children. It’s informative without being a boring read. Trust me.]


P.S. Today, the trial portion of Thomas Labunga's case at the ICC came to an end. He is the first individual whose trial has focused solely on the recruitment of child soldiers. His trial and its outcome will set legal precedent for those of its kind that follow. I only hope that his judgement is fair and just. Click HERE to read more about Labunga.