War-related experiences of former child soldiers in northern Uganda: comparison with non-recruited youths

Abstract

The network approach permitted demonstration of the many ways in which war-affected youths encounter and appraise stressful war events. War events might function as moderators or mediators of the effect that other war events exert on the lives and well-being of young people living in war zones. This demands comprehensive and individualized assessment.

Victims and/or perpetrators? Towards an interdisciplinary dialogue on child soldiers

“…The ongoing stigmatization of and discrimination against returned former child soldiers, as shown in many studies [ 72 , 75 , 80 – 82 ] appears to be inspired by two elements: the feelings and views of the civilian communities, and, closely related, the nature of humanitarian programming in conflict and post-conflict contexts [ 79 ]. First, stigmatization and discrimination imply that the members of the communities where former child soldiers return to, not (only) perceive these children as victims [ 83 ]. They are equally considered as perpetrators, having committed atrocities against members of their own community [ 79 ].…”

“…They are equally considered as perpetrators, having committed atrocities against members of their own community [ 79 ]. Secondly, this process is often aggravated by the fact that humanitarian aid and intervention agencies use categorical approaches, in which certain target groups—in particular former child soldiers—are supported, and many others are not, in an effort to effectively distribute scarce resources [ 78 , 79 , 83 ]. These practices shape the public notion that former child soldiers are ‘rewarded’ for the atrocities committed, and moreover, that their civilian victims are not recognized nor ‘compensated’, enhancing sentiments of injustice [ 79 ].…”

Protecting children from abuse: a neglected but crucial priority for the international child health agenda

“…The papers by de Silva 26 and Vindevogel and colleagues 27 illustrate the devastating consequences of child soldiers and internal or external displacement. Although UN agencies, such as UNICEF, WHO and UNHCR are doing excellent work in providing child protection in such settings as camps for internally displaced and refugee families, the UN security system remains weak in terms of protection, as seen in the conflicts in Syria, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Rwanda.…”

“…34 The consequences of girl abuse are also extremely serious with regard to HIV. 14,26,27,33 In certain African settings, some people still believe that sexual intercourse with a young girl (even a baby girl) can cure this infection. 35 However, a survey of Malawian men convicted of a sexual crime against children aged 2-17 years did not support their motivation as being a desire to be cured or 'cleansed' of HIV infection.…”

The role of violence perpetration in driving externalizing problems and offending behavior among youth from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

“…Another grave violation against children and increasing feature of armed conflict is the recruitment of children by armed groups (Haer & Böhmelt, 2016a). When youth are recruited by armed groups, their war experiences can differ significantly from nonrecruited youth (Vindevogel et al., 2013). On average, recruited children and adolescents witness and experience a higher number of traumatic events, including potentially more severe forms of violence (Ertl et al., 2014; Kohrt, 2008; Vindevogel et al., 2013), than those who do not serve in armed groups.…”