Children after war:
After war, child soldiers have to fight a new war of their own. This is their life after death and it is something that we can do to make former child soldiers become whole again.
A United Nations treaty prohibiting the use of children in hostilities has been ratified by 126 countries, but at least 250,000 child soldiers are still currently involved in armed conflicts worldwide.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and its partners are working hard at trying to rehabiltate child soldiers. When children enter a UNICEF transitory care centre, they soon receive a general medical check-up followed by treatment where indicated. In DRC, the centres are designed for a three-month stay, and are often the children’s first contact with normality after their horrific experiences. And after the three months are up? Where possible, children are returned to their families and communities to begin the long road back to ‘normal’ life. And it is here that many face the biggest challenge. These children have often lost their families and so have no network of support, no way to make a living, nothing,” says Obonyo Tom Fred, director of the Agoro Community Development Association in Agoro, a war-torn rural community in northern Uganda. Encouraging life skills and economic autonomy is also a key aspect of UNICEF’s rehabilitation and re-integration efforts. “We provide support to get these children back to school or into vocational training or work,” says Ironside. These activities take place in local communities and include other vulnerable children, not just former child soldiers, to promote a sense of community and reduce stigmatization. Many children have a hard time returning to normality after everything that they have been through, so this becomes our job to help these children in need.
Also, many people do what is in their capability to help former child soldiers. (Look at our "What can YOU do?" page to see more)
A United Nations treaty prohibiting the use of children in hostilities has been ratified by 126 countries, but at least 250,000 child soldiers are still currently involved in armed conflicts worldwide.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and its partners are working hard at trying to rehabiltate child soldiers. When children enter a UNICEF transitory care centre, they soon receive a general medical check-up followed by treatment where indicated. In DRC, the centres are designed for a three-month stay, and are often the children’s first contact with normality after their horrific experiences. And after the three months are up? Where possible, children are returned to their families and communities to begin the long road back to ‘normal’ life. And it is here that many face the biggest challenge. These children have often lost their families and so have no network of support, no way to make a living, nothing,” says Obonyo Tom Fred, director of the Agoro Community Development Association in Agoro, a war-torn rural community in northern Uganda. Encouraging life skills and economic autonomy is also a key aspect of UNICEF’s rehabilitation and re-integration efforts. “We provide support to get these children back to school or into vocational training or work,” says Ironside. These activities take place in local communities and include other vulnerable children, not just former child soldiers, to promote a sense of community and reduce stigmatization. Many children have a hard time returning to normality after everything that they have been through, so this becomes our job to help these children in need.
Also, many people do what is in their capability to help former child soldiers. (Look at our "What can YOU do?" page to see more)
Table of contents
What is a child soldier?
- This section gives the defenition of child soldier along with extra information on girl soldiers who recieve less attention.
Why are child soldiers used?
- This section of our website gives a bulleted list of many reasons child soldiers are used.
Where are child soldiers?
- This section gives a few short paragraphs on the places child soldiers are utilized along with two maps to help you visualize the large area in which they are used.
What can you do?
- This section includes subsections on the many things you can do to help this issue occur no more.
More
- Statistics
- This section includes several detailed statistics.
- Petition
- Read our petition and virtually sign in agreement.
- Photo album
- This section gives the defenition of child soldier along with extra information on girl soldiers who recieve less attention.
Why are child soldiers used?
- This section of our website gives a bulleted list of many reasons child soldiers are used.
Where are child soldiers?
- This section gives a few short paragraphs on the places child soldiers are utilized along with two maps to help you visualize the large area in which they are used.
What can you do?
- This section includes subsections on the many things you can do to help this issue occur no more.
More
- Statistics
- This section includes several detailed statistics.
- Petition
- Read our petition and virtually sign in agreement.
- Photo album