Topic:DEMOBILIZATION AND REINTEGRATION OF CHILD SOLDIERS
LESSONS FROM UGANDA
Presented by: National Director
World Vision Uganda
15B Nakasero Rd.
P O Box 5319, KAMPALA
UGANDA
Tel: 256-41-345758
Fax:256-41-258587
E-mail: Robby_
Muhumuza@wvi.org
Theme: A
WORKSHOP ON DEMOBILIZATION AND REINTEGRATION OF FORMER SOLDIERS AND COMBATANTS
Introduction
Global picture
War is no place for children. The use of child soldiers continues to be a major challenge for a world stricken with armed conflicts.
Over 300,000 children under the age of 18 are currently taking part in various armed conflicts all over the world. While some of these are recruited by governments, a good number are kidnapped, coerced and deceived to join the armed forces.
Whereas most child soldiers are between the ages of 15 and 18, a lot of recruitment starts at the age of 10 or even younger (Save the Children Alliance, 1998).
African scene
In Africa, an estimated 120,000 children under the age of 18, (some as young as 7 or 8) are currently participating in armed conflicts (Save the Children Alliance, 1998).
The most affected countries by the child soldier problem are; Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Congo-Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Uganda (Save the Children Alliance, 1998).
Child Soldiers: Uganda’s case
The involvement of children in armed conflict in Uganda dates back to the Idi Amin murderous dictatorship in the1970s. Opposition fighting groups like the Front for National Salvation (FRONASA) led by Yoweri Museveni and the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) led by former President Milton Obote had young men under the age of 18.
The issue of child soldiers, however, first gained prominence after 1981 during Obote’s second rule following the disputed 1980 elections. Yoweri Museveni went to the bush and declared a guerilla war against Obote’s regime.
He formed a guerilla army that later joined other anti-Obote fighting groups and was renamed the National Resistance Army (NRA).
As the NRA marched into Kampala to capture state power in January 1986, child soldiers (known as “ kadogos”), some as young as 4 and 6 years of age were among its rank and file (Muhumuza, 1995). The NRA contained an estimated 3,000 child soldiers under the age of 16. Among them, 500 were young girls (Guy Goodwin-Gill, 1994).
With mounting international pressure on the Ugandan Government, many of these
“ kadogos” were “demobilized” into a special child soldiers’ school in Mbarara, where they continued with formal education.
Many of the kadogos of the mid 1980’s after acquiring formal and professional education in higher institutions of learning have matured into army officers with responsible positions, with some changing into civilian professions (Muhumuza, 1995).
Abducted Children of Northern Uganda
Since 1986 when the current Government came into power under Yoweri Museveni, various rebel groups have continued fighting the Government.
These have included; Uganda Peoples Army (UPA) in Soroti and Kumi, the Holy Spirit Movement (HSM) led by Priestess Alice Auma Lakwena and the Lords’ Resistance Army (LRA), led by Joseph Kony in Gulu and Kitgum.
The LRA, the longest running rebel group has occasionally invaded the neighboring districts of Lira, Apac, Moyo, Adjumani and Arua.
The LRA rebels attack villages, schools, townships, homes and fields, causing havoc and mayhem. They kill, maim and lay ambushes. They loot, burn up homes and abduct people.
The majority of those abducted have tended to be teenage children. UNICEF estimates that between 8,000 – 14,000 children have been abducted by the LRA since 1988.
Life under abduction
The LRA grossly abuse the fundamental rights of the children who are abducted including torture, deprivation from food, being forced to carry heavy loads for long distances and holding them captive against their will. (Amnesty International, 1997 Human Rights Watch, 1997).
Both boys and girls are forced to undergo military training at LRA bases in Sudan. They are given rudimentary training in assembling and dismantling guns, shooting and taking cover.
They are brought back to Uganda and forced to invade villages, abduct children and loot property.
They are forced to kill adults who may be their relatives, village-mates or friends (Human Rights Watch 1997, Amnesty International, 1997)
In addition to fighting, they do heavy work like fetching water, cooking, digging and other chores.
Girls, in addition to military training, farming and cooking are distributed to rebel commanders as sex-slaves. Girls who do not cooperate are severely beaten until they comply.
When fighting Government forces, the children are put on the frontline to act as human shields and cannon fodder. Many children have lost their lives or have been wounded (Muhumuza, 1998).
Demobilization
The abduction and gross abuse of children who are turned into child soldiers and sex-slaves by the LRA has been greatly condemned by the communities, Government of Uganda, UN agencies, the international community and civil society bodies.
Pressure has been mounted on the LRA to release all the children in captivity and to stop further abductions. Many of the children make attempts to escape usually at great risk to their lives, whenever they get an opportunity.
Escape from LRA
Demobilization starts when they leave the rebel army. Some children escape on their own and trek long distances in the bush till they get to Uganda. Some of them are rescued or captured by Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) during combat or when their camps are raided. Some are wounded in cross fire or shot at by UPDF in self defence.
Others surrender to the UPDF or Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) in Southern Sudan.
Contact with the Army
Contact with the Government Army, the UPDF, is usually the initial step in the demobilization of child soldiers from LRA. The children are interrogated to get intelligence information from them and then debriefed.
This usually takes place at a military detach or barracks. Many children have confessed that this period is very stressful for them since at this stage they are not sure they will not be punished as the “enemy”.
UNICEF and NGOs have requested the Army not to keep the former child soldiers in military facilities for long but to hand them over to NGOs like World Vision and Gulu Support the Children Organization (GUSCO) for psycho-social support, family tracing and reunification.
Concern has even been greater for the girl-child soldier who is vulnerable in military barracks.
Save the Children (Denmark) and GUSCO have been training UPDF soldiers on children’s rights and protection of children during combat and after.
Working with the Ministry of Gender and Community Development, UNICEF and NGOs have persuaded the UPDF to open up Children’s Desks at the barracks in Northern Uganda that takes care of the child soldiers needs and interests before they are handed over.
Contact with Government Representative
The Army usually hands over the children to the Central Government Representative at the district level, the Resident District Commissioner’s office, who then hands them over on the same day to NGOs like World Vision and GUSCO.
This is important for the children because the Government officially receives them back from the rebel ranks as free civilians and not soldiers or criminals to be prosecuted.
Hand over to Civil Society Organization/NGO
The former child soldiers usually return when they are wounded, malnourished, dehydrated, sickly and in dirty tattered military uniform.
They are also many times emotionally traumatized by what they have gone through. Many of them have been away from home for many months or years and are not sure whether their parents are still alive or have been displaced by the war.
Many of the children are apprehensive of the reception they will be given back home since they have been part of a much hated rebel army that has committed untold atrocities in their home districts.
The role of NGOs has been very critical in bridging this gap and assisting the children, their families and communities to transition from soldiering-captive-rebel-life to civilian life.
World Vision has since 1995 to March 2001 provided psycho-social support and resettled over 5500 formerly abducted children, child soldiers and young adults in Northern Uganda. GUSCO, with support from Save the Children Denmark, has done the same for about 2600 children from Gulu district during the same period.
Demobilization to reintegration
The demobilization/reintegration programme by the NGOs has got two major components: a short term centre-based transition period; and a long term community-based care and follow-up for resettlement and reintegration into the community.
Centre-based care
At the centres, the children are received by specially trained counselors and caregivers. They are registered including names, dates of birth, educational level, names of their parents and home villages etc. This information is important for family tracing and final reunification.
Many of the children on arrival at the centre display signs of trauma, including persistent nightmares, screaming and shouting at night due to fear or flash back of events they experienced in the bush, general mood irritability, mood swings, being withdrawn from other persons, lack of concentration and dazed look (World Vision, 1997).
Medical records at the World Vision centre in Gulu in 1979 showed that 80% of the girls coming through the centre have some sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhea, syphilis or sores. After receiving HIV/AIDS awareness and education, a few of the older youth have voluntarily gone for HIV testing and are receiving treatment and counseling .
Psycho-social support for the children is provided in a range of ways. First, their physical safety is assured and they become free from insecurity. Their health needs are met and they are provided with nutritious food. They are provided with a resettlement kit consisting of clothes, plate, cup, soap, mattress and blanket.
Second, they are encouraged, if they wish, to talk about the experiences they went through with a counselor, providing a sympathetic non-judgmental ear. Other therapeutic activities the children participate in include drawing, painting, music, dancing, skits, football, watching video etc.
The children are given life skills education including responsible citizenship, reproductive health, children’s rights and peaceful conflict resolution, among many others.
Vocational skills’ training has been introduced to the children, partly as therapy and partly to occupy them in a useful activity. For some, the training becomes career participation since they are unable to go back to formal school, due to either “old” age or their feeling that they may not be able to cope.
Skills offered at the centre include: tailoring, bicycle-repairing, carpentry, farming, beauty management, bricklaying and building skills.
Resettlement and Reintegration
As soon as a child arrives at the centre, the process of family tracing starts. Messages are sent through the Local Council system as well as through a network of caregivers in the community to look for and inform the parents and relatives.
When located, the family is informed and counseled on how to relate to the child so that they do not overwhelm the child with questions or depressing information suddenly.
The family members usually come to visit the child at the centre and welcome him or her from rebel captivity. Later, the child may go and visit before finally going back to resettle.
When the child is finally ready to go home after some weeks or months at the centre, the office of the Resident District Commissioner hands over an official letter of introduction for each child. This letter clarifies that the child is no longer a soldier or rebel and is therefore free to move and settle.
Children are usually provided with a resettlement kit to help them resettle at home: a set of clothes, some utensils, soap and food ration.
Those who have undergone vocational skills training and are keen to use them are given a set of tools and materials to start them off.
On arrival at home, some families organize traditional rituals and ceremonies to cleanse the child and welcome him or her home.
Such ceremonies are carried out by elders or the local herbalist. For those who are religious, they invite a local priest or mullah to say prayers of thanksgiving and protection for the child and his or her family.
Follow up Support
It has been found necessary to prepare the family as well as the community to support the resettlement and reintegration of the former child soldiers.
Community based caregivers trained by the NGOs conduct community awareness about the needs of the returning children and how to support them to resettle. It is emphasized to them that it is important not to call them killers or rebels or the enemy but treat them as innocent victims of the conflict. They are encouraged to forgive and reconcile with them. This is usually a good opportunity to teach the community about children’s rights.
To ensure that demobilized child soldiers returning to schools are not tensed and life made difficult for them, teachers have been taught on children’s rights and special care for former child soldiers.
The school children have been mobilized to form children’s rights clubs to learn about their rights and why it is important to support their peers returning from war. Before that, the former abducted children were subjected to name calling as rebels and the girls as “ wives” of rebels.
The caregivers follow up the returned children to ensure they are settling in well. Some children who have been used to the harsh military discipline and were obeying out of fear find it difficult to respect and obey their parents and elders. The caregivers who visit help counsel both the children and other people who may be conflicting with them.
LESSONS LEARNT
There are many lessons learnt from the demobilization and reintegration of child soldiers in Uganda that could apply to other countries dealing with the same issue.
Amnesty
There should be a blanket amnesty and immunity for all children who have been used as child soldiers and they should not be tried for any “ war” crimes.
Children should be protected from retribution. This could be achieved by engaging the community on forgiveness and reconciliation before the children come back.
Girl Child
Special programmes that meet the unique situation and needs of the girl child should be designed e.g formal and controlled discharge of girl child from the armed group.
Girl soldiers who are raped in servitude need to be analyzed in terms of social implications, re-acceptance barriers within families and communities and the likely health implications.
Special interventions for girl child soldiers with dependants (single mothers) should be in place to address mother/child needs and to ensure economic self-sustainability along community reintegration.
Culture and Traditional practices
Traditional rituals and customs that contribute to healing, reconciliation, and peace building aspects should be encouraged and incorporated in the reintegration programmes.
Traditions that are negative e.g those that encourage revenge should be discouraged.
Traditional and western methods of psycho-social rehabilitation should be incorporated.
Role of NGOs
Be involved in advocacy and awareness creation and put pressure on Governments and non-state actors to demobilize and reintegrate child soldiers.
Build and strengthen the capacity of communities to support the demobilization and reintegration of child soldiers.
Be involved in peace education and conflict resolution
Document, share and encourage good practices.
Network to avoid duplication of programmes. Complement the work of other NGOs in needs assessment, planning and implementation.
Mobilize resources.
Mediate in conflict resolution.
Pay attention to the needs of the children with disabilities, involved in substance abuse or with HIV/AIDS.
Role of Government/Donors
Legislate against the use of child soldiers
Advocate and put pressure on entities using child soldiers to demobilize and reintegrate child soldiers.
Provide funding for programmes by Governments/NGOs for demobilization and reintegration of child soldiers.
Provide funding for technical assistance/research and studies for sharing best practices.
Fund development programmes in communities where demobilized child soldiers are resettling like schools, health facilities, economic productive enterprises that children and the rest of the communities can benefit from.
Amnesty International, Uganda ‘Breaking God’s Commands’: The Destruction of Childhood by the Lord’s Resistance Army, London 1997.
Human Rights Watch,The Scars of Death, Children Abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, New York, 1997.
Save the Children Alliance, Stop Using Child Soldiers, London, 1998
Rachel Brett, Margaret McCallin, Children. The Invisible Soldiers, Radda Barnen, Stockholm, Radda Barren, 1998
Robby Muhumuza, Shattered Innocence: Testimonies of abducted Children in Northern Uganda, Kampala, UNICEF/World Vision n.d.
Robby Muhumuza, Restored Hope: Testimonies of former Abducted Children Undergoing counselling in Northern Uganda, World Vision Uganda, Kampala 1998
Robby Muhumuza, A case study on Reintegration of Demobilised Child
Soldiers in Uganda – World Vision Uganda. Kampala 1995
AVSI, GUSCO, Red Barnet, UNICEF, World Vision, Where is my Home: Children in War, Kampala , 1998
Margaret Balaba, Children at Risk: Beyond Rhetoric: The Gulu Children of War Programme, Kampala, World Vision Uganda 1999
UNICEF & MRG, War: The Impact on Monitoring and Indegenous Children, London, UNICEF & MRG 1997
UNHCR, Refugee Children: Guidelines on protection and Care, UNHCR, Geneva, 1994
World Vision,World Vision Children of War Programme, Evaluation report 1997
Tavros Stravrou, Robert Stewart, The Reintegration of Child Soldiers and Abductees: A case study of Palaro and Pabbo, Gulu, Northern Uganda, DRA- development Johannesburg Nov 1999
Godwin Hill and Irene Cohn, “Child soldiers: The role of children in armed conflict”. Henry Dunat Institution, Geneva, 1994