Between Africa and the Middle East, 40% are girls. On February 12, for the World Day against the use of child soldiers, INTERSOS launches the #STOPCHILDSOLDIERS campaign.
There are 18 countries in which, since 2016, the use of child soldiers in armed conflicts has been documented: Afghanistan, Cameroon, Colombia, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Iraq, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, Libya, Philippines, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Despite efforts to combat this phenomenon, the number of registered cases has steadily increased from 2012 to 2020. 40% of enrolled minors are girls, often victims of gender-based violence.
Every year, on February 12, for the World Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers, INTERSOS dedicates the #STOPCHILDSOLDIERS campaign to the commitment of organizations, operators and civil society activists to reintegrate former child soldiers into society and allow them a normal life.
Who are the child soldiers
But who are the “child soldiers”? “Child soldier” means any person under the age of 18 who is, or has been, recruited or used by an armed force or armed group. Boys, girls who are enlisted not only to fight but also to be used as spies, messengers, cooks, kitchen maids, field assistants and for sexual purposes.
There is no official statistic, only estimates, for a deliberately hidden phenomenon, considered illegal by international conventions but still widespread. There are tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands children enrolled in armed groups and involved in conflicts. They become part of an armed force or group for various reasons. Some are kidnapped, threatened, coerced or psychologically manipulated. Others are driven by poverty and the need for survival. Regardless of their involvement, the recruitment and use of children in conflicts always represents a serious violation of children’s rights and international humanitarian law.
How INTERSOS helps child soldiers
INTERSOS conducts, with the support of UNICEF, a reintegration project for former child soldiers in Africa, specifically in the Central African Republic, one of the most affected countries by this phenomenon, where children are used by all the main actors of the ongoing internal conflict since 2013 and where the phenomenon has become a humanitarian emergency. During 2020 we took care of 214 ex-child soldiers freed from armed groups and to date 180 of them are completing the path of social and work reintegration.
“The full reintegration of a former child soldier is a long and complex but possible process ” explains Federica Biondi, an INTERSOS operator who worked together with the former child soldiers. “It means giving a minor the opportunity to re-enter society, accepting to recognize himself in a new role and a new identity, being accepted in this new role by the family and the community which he belongs. And it also means – she says – having material conditions to live in dignity, through participation in formal and informal education courses and the acquisition of new skills “.
How the reintegration of child soldiers works
With the reintegration programmes INTERSOS follows these young people in the long and difficult path of social reintegration. In the first phase, once received in a safe place, the minor has access to the necessary medical care and receives constant psychological and emotional support. In the second phase, the minors are reunited with their family of origin or entrusted to guardians.
If they are under the age of 15, their reintegration into the school system is encouraged, both through literacy courses and the acquisition of basic skills, and by financially supporting those who will take care of them. If, on the other hand, they are over 15 years old and do not intend to resume a course of study, they are involved in training activities useful for consolidating basic education and learning a profession suited to their vocation. In addition, useful support for job placement is guaranteed. The programme also provides specific attention to girls who in most cases have been sexually abused and require special medical care and psychological support.