Coping with the trauma of war: Former child soldiers in post-conflict Sierra Leone

2010 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 791-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myriam Denov
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Child Soldiers ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
After Effects ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Former Child Soldiers ◽  
Depth Interviews

Children across the globe have been implicated in armed conflict as both victims and participants. During Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war, thousands of children, both boys and girls, participated directly in armed conflict or were recruited for labour or sexual exploitation in armed groups. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with 80 children formerly associated with Sierra Leone’s Revolutionary United Front, this paper explores children’s experiences of violence during the armed conflict, traces the realities that children faced in the aftermath of the war, and examines the ways in which participants attempted to cope with the war’s profound after-effects. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for social work.

Children in Armed Conflict

2020 ◽  
pp. 656-674
Author(s):  
Mark Drumbl
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Child Soldiers ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Former Child Soldiers ◽  
The Law ◽  
Child Soldiering

This chapter addresses a particularly vulnerable population of children, namely, children associated with armed forces or armed groups. These children are colloquially known as child soldiers. This chapter begins by surveying the prevalence of child soldiering globally. It then sets out the considerable amount of international law that addresses children in armed conflict, in particular, the law that allocates responsibility for child soldiering and the law that sets out the responsibility of child soldiers for their conduct. The chapter identifies significant gaps between the law and the securing of positive outcomes for former child soldiers, notably when it comes to post-conflict reintegration. The protective impulse that envisions militarized youth as faultless passive victims may not always reflect how youthful fighters see themselves nor necessarily support an emancipatory and empowering vision of how international law should promote the rights of children.

scholarly journals TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE: THE REINTEGRATION OF CHILD SOLDIERS THROUGH POST-CONFLICT METHODS OF JUSTICE

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 474
Author(s):  
Ana Paula Barbosa-Fohrmann
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
International Law ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Child Soldiers ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Made In

<p>This paper examines the problematic of child soldiers, based on inter alia the strategy of research <br />and study of the United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for <br />Children and Armed Conflict and on the priorities of the Machel Study. Here, national and international <br />law will be applied on countries where children are recruited by armed groups. Concerning domestic <br />jurisdiction alternative or traditional methods of justice as well as formal legal methods will be <br />addressed. Specifically, this paper will focus on three main subjects: 1) the possibility of prosecution <br />and judgment of adolescents, who participated in armed conflicts; 2) prosecution and judgment of war lords <br />and 3) civil reparation proportional to the damage caused by an armed conflict. These three subjects will <br />be construed according to (traditional or alternative and formal) national and international law. Finally, <br />some recommendations will be made in order to improve the system of reintegration of child soldiers in <br />post-conflict countries.</p>

scholarly journals Post-traumatic stress symptoms among former child soldiers in Sierra Leone: follow-up study

2013 ◽  
Vol 203 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa S. Betancourt ◽  
Elizabeth A. Newnham ◽  
Ryan McBain ◽  
Robert T. Brennan
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Child Soldiers ◽  
Symptom Change ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Former Child Soldiers ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
War Experiences

BackgroundFormer child soldiers are at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, the trajectory of symptoms has yet to be examined.AimsThe risk and protective factors associated with PTSD symptom change among former child soldiers in Sierra Leone were investigated.MethodData from 243 former child soldiers (mean age 16.6 years, 30% female) were analysed.ResultsSelf-reported rates of possible PTSD using standard cut-off points declined from 32% to 16% 4 years later (P<0.05). Symptoms of PTSD at baseline were significantly associated with war experiences (P<0.01) and post-conflict family abuse (P<0.001). Reliable improvement in symptoms was reported by 30%. In growth models examining symptom change, worsening of symptoms was associated with death of a parent (P<0.05) and post-conflict stigma (P<0.001). Protective effects were observed for increases in family acceptance (P<0.001).ConclusionsThe findings indicated improvement in PTSD symptoms among former child soldiers despite limited access to care. Family and community support played a vital part in promoting psychological adjustment.

Testimonies of former child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

2019 ◽  
Vol 101 (911) ◽  
pp. 445-457
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Child Soldiers ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
Psychological Violence ◽  
Armed Group ◽  
Former Child Soldiers ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
Physical And Psychological Violence

In this issue, the Review has chosen to give a voice to former child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Children recruited by armed groups experience separation from their families, physical and psychological violence, sometimes including sexual exploitation, as well as interruption of their education. Whether they joined an armed group forcibly or by choice, as a fighter or carrying out a different function – every story is unique, reflecting numerous challenges faced by children in these circumstances. The testimonies below reflect children's experiences, the difficulties they have faced and their hopes for a new life. In order to protect them and their relatives, their testimonies have been anonymized.

scholarly journals Informal and Formal Supports for Former Child Soldiers in Northern Uganda

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofie Vindevogel ◽  
Michael Wessells ◽  
Maarten De Schryver ◽  
Eric Broekaert ◽  
Ilse Derluyn
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Child Soldiers ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Former Child Soldiers ◽  
Chi Square Analysis

This study aimed to evaluate the potential contribution of informal community initiatives and formal interventions in support of former child soldiers' resilience in the wake of armed conflict. Using a cross-sectional survey design, a stratified random sample of 330 formerly recruited and 677 nonrecruited young people was consulted about their perspective on desirable support for former child soldiers provided by close support figures, communities, humanitarian organizations, and governments. Data analysis occurred by conducting qualitative thematic analysis and statistical chi-square analysis to explore clusters, similarities, and variations in reported support across the different “agents,” hereby comparing the perspectives of formerly recruited and non-recruited participants. The results indicated that formerly recruited and non-recruited participants had comparable perspectives that call for the contribution of various informal and formal support systems to former child soldiers' human capacities and the communal sociocultural fabric of war-affected societies. This highlights the importance of community-based, collective, and comprehensive support of formerly recruited young people and their surroundings in the aftermath of armed conflict.

Child Soldiers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Guyot-Diangone
Keyword(s):  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Child Soldiers ◽  
Child Soldier ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Rights Of The Child ◽  
Social Work Ethics ◽  
Resilience Factors ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Traditional Healing Practices

This article provides an overview of the phenomenon of child soldiers in war theaters around the world. Research studies are used to illustrate the deficits approach frequently applied to young people’s involvement in armed combat. In addition to a review of the legal protections surrounding the involvement of children in armed conflict, this article broadens the discourse on child soldiers. Diversity is introduced to counter the monolithic characterization of the child soldier, including descriptions of the various forms, levels, and dimensions participation may take, affecting all spheres of life—providing a holistic, community-level view not limited to individualized intrapsychic experiences. The subject of the child soldier has been approached through scholarship from a number of disciplines and centers on reintegration practices, the use of children as a military strategy, the process of weaponizing children, children’s moral development, and the use of traditional healing practices. Core social work ethics, along with the discipline’s strengths-based approach to inquiry are employed to further counter the narrative of “brokenness” that is prevalent in these fields. The introduction of resilience factors is used to broaden awareness of the diversity of outcomes among the various cohorts studied. Childhood as a social construction is discussed, along with its Western-informed biases. Humanitarian aid and development bodies have structured educational programs and livelihood opportunities to assist former child soldiers reintegrate into post-conflict societies, and Western understandings of childhood influence the architecture of these efforts. Although protections surrounding the involvement of minors in armed conflict have grown, the use of child soldiers remains. The article uses the Convention of the Rights of the Child along with the African Charter on Children in Armed Conflict to help unpack the disparate meanings of what it means to be a child within various sociocultural contexts.

Why peace endures: an analysis of post-conflict stabilisation

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Caplan ◽  
Anke Hoeffler
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
East Timor ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Peacekeeping Operations ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Negotiated Settlements ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
Conflict Termination ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis article is concerned with explaining why peace endures in countries that have experienced a civil armed conflict. We use a mixed methods approach by evaluating six case studies (Burundi, East Timor, El Salvador, Liberia, Nepal, Sierra Leone) and survival analysis that allows us to consider 205 peace episodes since 1990. We find that it is difficult to explain why peace endures using statistical analysis but there is some indication that conflict termination is important in post-conflict stabilisation: negotiated settlements are more likely to break down than military victories. We also consider the impact of UN peacekeeping operations on the duration of peace but find little evidence of their contribution. However, in situations where UN peacekeeping operations are deployed in support of negotiated settlements they do seem to contribute to peace stabilisation.

Sierra Leone's post-conflict elections of 2002

2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jimmy D. Kandeh
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Democratic Consolidation ◽  
The Political ◽  
National Party ◽  
Political Opposition ◽  
People's Party ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
United Front ◽  
Official Corruption

The landslide victory by the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) in the 2002 elections was due not to any ideological or policy differences with opposition parties, but to the perception among a plurality of voters that the party delivered on its promise to end the war and therefore deserved re-election. The elections were in effect a referendum on the incumbent president and his ruling SLPP, with voters overwhelmingly concluding that Ahmad Tejan Kabba, the SLPP leader, was preferable to the legion of certified scoundrels seeking to replace him. Signs of the All Peoples Congress (APC), the party that was in power from 1968–92, making a political comeback galvanised otherwise unenthusiastic voters into supporting Kabba and the SLPP. In contrast to the APC, against whom the rebel war was launched, or the Revolutionary United Front Party (RUFP), which initiated and prosecuted the insurgency, or the People's Liberation Party (PLP), whose earlier incarnation prolonged the war by colluding with rebels, Kabba and the SLPP claimed to have ended a war that was caused, launched and sustained by assorted elements of the political opposition. The SLPP, however, can ill-afford to bask in electoral triumph or ignore the festering problems of rampant official corruption and mass poverty that led to armed conflict in the 1990s. Tackling the problem of corruption and mass deprivation may hold the key to democratic consolidation, but it is doubtful whether the SLPP, as presently constituted, is capable of leading the fight against these scourges. The SLPP may be reaching out to become a national party but it still remains an unreconstructed patronage outfit that is unresponsive to popular currents and mass aspirations.

Forced conscription of children during armed conflict: Experiences of former child soldiers in northern Uganda

2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 551-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofie Vindevogel ◽  
Kathleen Coppens ◽  
Ilse Derluyn ◽  
Maarten De Schryver ◽  
Gerrit Loots ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Child Soldiers ◽  
Northern Uganda ◽  
Former Child Soldiers

scholarly journals Vécu Des Enfants Soldats Pendant La Guerre: Une Analyse À Partir Des Projets De l’Organisation Non Gouvernemental Caritas Makeni En Sierra Léone

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 256
Author(s):  
Gnamien Yawa Ossi
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Central African Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Child Soldiers ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Child Soldier ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
Social Reintegration ◽  
Quantitative And Qualitative Methods

The phenomenon of «child soldier» has become very rampant these last years. In Africa, they are very common in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in Chad, in Uganda, in Sierra Leone, and in Côte d’Ivoire. More recently, they are in Mali and in the Central African Republic. However, armed conflicts have imposed various situations on populations. The children are the main victims. The focus of this study is on child soldiers during times of war. The main objective of this study is to analyze the ways they join the armed groups and the difficulties of their social reintegration. The objective of this study is to analyze the recruitment conditions of children and the difficulties of social reintegration. The hypothesis postulates that there is a link between the passage of the children in armed groups and their psychosocial outcome. The study took place in Sierra Leone. The quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The results of the study show that: the mode of recruitment of children has an influence on their social reintegration. Also, the violent practices in armed conflicts are obstacles to their social reintegration.

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