INTRODUCTION
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a country that is located in the middle of Africa with a population of 51.2 million with 27.5 million under the age of 18.
In 1997 Rwanda, The DRC's neighbor brought solders to help into the DR of Congo to help over through their government. This war is still being fought today even thought the war was declared many years ago.
As a result of this war there has been a major boost in soldiers around The DRC which has also boosted the level of child soldiers.
The war and the fighting has been going on for more than 16 years and costed the lives of over 5 million people.
They call this war Africa's World War because Rwanda was only one of the seven other African countries that traveled to The DRC to fight against their government.
Child soldiers are commonly used because they don't ask for anything like a salary, extra food or shelter so their basic rights are being taken away from them without them knowing it as they are so young and don't have a lot of education to know the difference between right and wrong. In a word these children are treated like slaves. They also take children because they are very hard workers and don't know how to retreat from a fight so they stay until the fight is through whatever the outcome.
In 1997 Rwanda, The DRC's neighbor brought solders to help into the DR of Congo to help over through their government. This war is still being fought today even thought the war was declared many years ago.
As a result of this war there has been a major boost in soldiers around The DRC which has also boosted the level of child soldiers.
The war and the fighting has been going on for more than 16 years and costed the lives of over 5 million people.
They call this war Africa's World War because Rwanda was only one of the seven other African countries that traveled to The DRC to fight against their government.
Child soldiers are commonly used because they don't ask for anything like a salary, extra food or shelter so their basic rights are being taken away from them without them knowing it as they are so young and don't have a lot of education to know the difference between right and wrong. In a word these children are treated like slaves. They also take children because they are very hard workers and don't know how to retreat from a fight so they stay until the fight is through whatever the outcome.
THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO'S POPULATION
HOW HAS THE NUMBER OF CHILD SOLDIERS PLUMMETING UPWARDS EFFECTED ALL CHILDREN'S WELLBEING AROUND THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO?
It is estimated that there are 250,000 children all around the world fighting in wars. These children were mostly recruited by force or lead to believe that it would give them the chance to escape from poverty.
These children are living a life that no child should ever have to live or even know that there is such a chance that they could be dragged out of their lives, homes and families to become a soldier and fight in a war that they do not yet understand.
Africa alone has the highest growth rate of children in conflict, but that is not the only thing that is growing as the age of those enlisted in these wars is also growing younger and younger. In 2003 it was estimated that up to 30,000 children were used as soldiers in The DRC, Children make up to 40% of most militant groups in the country.
It is estimated that around 45,000 people die every month from a result of the conflict that is in The DRC.
Children are afraid to live in their own homes because they know that if anyone comes along looking for a new recruitment to their militant groups they can just grab them in the middle of the day and nobody would have enough force or power to stop them from taking them away from their family and home where they feel safest.
These children are living a life that no child should ever have to live or even know that there is such a chance that they could be dragged out of their lives, homes and families to become a soldier and fight in a war that they do not yet understand.
Africa alone has the highest growth rate of children in conflict, but that is not the only thing that is growing as the age of those enlisted in these wars is also growing younger and younger. In 2003 it was estimated that up to 30,000 children were used as soldiers in The DRC, Children make up to 40% of most militant groups in the country.
It is estimated that around 45,000 people die every month from a result of the conflict that is in The DRC.
Children are afraid to live in their own homes because they know that if anyone comes along looking for a new recruitment to their militant groups they can just grab them in the middle of the day and nobody would have enough force or power to stop them from taking them away from their family and home where they feel safest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFiumblIg3w
HOW ARE THE CHILDREN TAKEN? HOW DOES THIS EFFECT THE COMMUNITIES THAT THEY ARE TAKEN FROM?
Children were snatched from their homes and taken away with no escape. The families of the children that are being taken are too scared to try and stop it from happening because they are not powerful enough to stop them. The families and community that the children are been taken from are mostly angry and upset that they can't do anything to find their children and bring them back home once they have been taken away from them.
The way that most of the children are taken is around meal times when most of the family are out finding food as there is a shortage because of the conflict happening around them. During these time armed men drive around in vans to small villages looking for the right house to abduct their next and newest recruit.
The people in these small villages can't do anything to stop these men from taking the children because they are armed and the village people have nothing do defend themselves with so they can do nothing but hope that they will one day return home.
All of the people in these small villages are always so terrified that the next time these men come, it will be their family that will be torn apart with violence. Some of these villages have their own groups protecting their homes, where as in other villages they take the fact that their children will be, can be or have been taken away from them as a part of everyday life that they just have to look past because sometimes there is no closer for these families to what has happened to their child, brother, sister etc .
The way that most of the children are taken is around meal times when most of the family are out finding food as there is a shortage because of the conflict happening around them. During these time armed men drive around in vans to small villages looking for the right house to abduct their next and newest recruit.
The people in these small villages can't do anything to stop these men from taking the children because they are armed and the village people have nothing do defend themselves with so they can do nothing but hope that they will one day return home.
All of the people in these small villages are always so terrified that the next time these men come, it will be their family that will be torn apart with violence. Some of these villages have their own groups protecting their homes, where as in other villages they take the fact that their children will be, can be or have been taken away from them as a part of everyday life that they just have to look past because sometimes there is no closer for these families to what has happened to their child, brother, sister etc .
DO THE FAMILIES OF THE CHILDREN THAT ARE TAKEN AWAY TO BECOME SOLDERS EVER GET TO SEE THE CHILD AGAIN?
In The DRC their is a man by the name of Muna, who runs the center for ex-child soldiers. This program gives children that have gone through so much a place to live and be educated but mostly it is a place were they are fed and cared for. One of the main focuses for this program is to reunite the children with their families once again, so they can start to feel like children again.
Muna says that he rescues from three to ten children each week from being a child soldier.
There is one more problem though as only some of the children that are saved from militant groups are reunited with their families.
There are many different reasons for this, the first is that many people were killed in the war that they were previously fighting and some of these children may not have any immediate family that they can be reunited with. Another reason why the children may not be returned to their families is because some families will not accept their child back because of them becoming a child soldier even though it was against their free will. These families know that their children have killed and will not allow their child to come back home. Other families discourage their children from returning home, to protect the child from being harmed by others within their community who hold them responsible for killing and other terrible acts.
Muna says that he rescues from three to ten children each week from being a child soldier.
There is one more problem though as only some of the children that are saved from militant groups are reunited with their families.
There are many different reasons for this, the first is that many people were killed in the war that they were previously fighting and some of these children may not have any immediate family that they can be reunited with. Another reason why the children may not be returned to their families is because some families will not accept their child back because of them becoming a child soldier even though it was against their free will. These families know that their children have killed and will not allow their child to come back home. Other families discourage their children from returning home, to protect the child from being harmed by others within their community who hold them responsible for killing and other terrible acts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLTPk0VdtHs
WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT THE CHILD HAD TO GO THROUGH WHEN BEING A SOLDIER? HOW DID IT AFFECT THEM?
In the YouTube video above the reporter is talking to a boy by the name of Patrick who was taken by a militant group when he was 12 year old straight from his home. After 3 years of being a child soldier he was saved. He tells Stacey (the reporter) that he was never afraid of killing another person because it was a war and all he had to do was kill them then take their weapon and leave their body behind as another Mai Mai would to drink the blood of the fallen soldier. (They would do this because they liked to be powerful and they believed that drinking the blood of your enemy would give you extra power.)
Another child by the name of Kalami was only 15 years old when he was made to kill a family by cutting up their bodies and eating them. He said ' my life is lost, I have nothing to live for'. This very young boy was forced to commit a terrible act that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
It is a little bit different for females and their experiences as being a child soldiers as they are generally used as sex slaves for the commanders of their militant groups. If these young girls would refuse they could be killed, beaten or raped by several men from their group.
Some of the first things that they would teach the children after been taken is the different ways to kill, steel, loot, rape, destroy and how to take drugs. The way that they train these children is by making them run in fields while guns are being shot all around them to stop them from being afraid of guns and being in the middle of a war.
Once the children get out of the militant groups they tell the stories of what they had to endure while being a soldier, many of them were made to rape others as it would dehumanize and separate them from their families emotionally. If they refused they were killed.
A lot of child soldier were made to kill others and the pain that they would describe in doing it was huge.
Another child by the name of Kalami was only 15 years old when he was made to kill a family by cutting up their bodies and eating them. He said ' my life is lost, I have nothing to live for'. This very young boy was forced to commit a terrible act that will haunt him for the rest of his life.
It is a little bit different for females and their experiences as being a child soldiers as they are generally used as sex slaves for the commanders of their militant groups. If these young girls would refuse they could be killed, beaten or raped by several men from their group.
Some of the first things that they would teach the children after been taken is the different ways to kill, steel, loot, rape, destroy and how to take drugs. The way that they train these children is by making them run in fields while guns are being shot all around them to stop them from being afraid of guns and being in the middle of a war.
Once the children get out of the militant groups they tell the stories of what they had to endure while being a soldier, many of them were made to rape others as it would dehumanize and separate them from their families emotionally. If they refused they were killed.
A lot of child soldier were made to kill others and the pain that they would describe in doing it was huge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpd3ykS4QOQ
WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS THAT THE CHILDREN LIVE IN AS SOLDIER?
Once the children are taken from their homes they are forced to live in the forest with little shelter, no beds and little food.
these children are scared, cold and above all else wish to be dead as they know that it would be less painful than what they have to go through on a daily basis.
In these camps the children are abused by their commanders, the people that they are supposed to trust the most are the ones that violate their bodies and minds which leads the soldiers to be terribly traumatized and alone as they no longer trust anyone else.
The children can live in the forests for years at a time forgetting all normalcy like playing, laughing, buying new clothes or trying new foods because all of these elements of their lives are controlled and taken away from them.
Two boys that were saved from a camp after many years were being driven through a busy street market and one of the boys commented on how colorful and lively everything was as all he could see were clothes and people. They were both amazed as neither of them remembered seeing such happiness and peace. The boys were so unfamiliar with what they were seeing they were talking about the amount of motorcycles that were all around them and how it was strange that they were wearing helmets.
This shows that many child soldiers forget what it is like to live a normal life that they deserve, also that there is peace in the world and there is life beyond the forest.
these children are scared, cold and above all else wish to be dead as they know that it would be less painful than what they have to go through on a daily basis.
In these camps the children are abused by their commanders, the people that they are supposed to trust the most are the ones that violate their bodies and minds which leads the soldiers to be terribly traumatized and alone as they no longer trust anyone else.
The children can live in the forests for years at a time forgetting all normalcy like playing, laughing, buying new clothes or trying new foods because all of these elements of their lives are controlled and taken away from them.
Two boys that were saved from a camp after many years were being driven through a busy street market and one of the boys commented on how colorful and lively everything was as all he could see were clothes and people. They were both amazed as neither of them remembered seeing such happiness and peace. The boys were so unfamiliar with what they were seeing they were talking about the amount of motorcycles that were all around them and how it was strange that they were wearing helmets.
This shows that many child soldiers forget what it is like to live a normal life that they deserve, also that there is peace in the world and there is life beyond the forest.