The Dilemma of Children in Leadership and Crisis
the genocide.
ABDUCTION: In some of the cases of abduction, Sierra Leone can also be taking as a case study. Sometime in 2000, 72 children were confirmed abducted by the RUF rebels in Makeni, where there were 164 children in an interim care centre. Because of the rebel presence in the township, there was a cut off, because of this, 72 of the children were abducted while 88 were able to escape from the township because of the insecurity. The 88 children who were able to manipulate their way to Freetown were assisted by UNICEF under the protection officer of Roisin De Burga, who explained the plight of the children that their journey to Freetown was a hectic one. They went through lots of ordeal, and almost walked part of their journey on foot. As it was not an easy trip because Makeni to Freetown is about 110 miles.
The cases of abduction of children in most war affected countries are very common because the faction forces are using children to do series of operations and if they refuse or attempt to escape, they are tortured, mutilated or killed.
The choices facing children today in most war affected countries are to join the military, die or become street children. The impact of the conflict on children is devastating, depriving thousands of the young people anything approaching a normal childhood. As you know children hardly fight for themselves, except they are forced into the idea of fighting.
Let us see what the Convention on the Rights of the Child declared, whether the above treatments for children are right or not.
Article 37 states that ” No child shall be subjected to torture, cruel treatment or punishment, unlawful arrest or deprivation of liberty. Both capital punishment and life imprisonment with possibility of release are prohibited for offences committed by persons below 18 years. Any child deprived of liberty shall be separated from adults unless it is considered in the child’s best interest not to do so. A child who is detained shall have legal and other assistance as well as contact with the family”.
However in most African countries today, the convention of the rights of the child are not regarded or recognized because we are still seeing rebel groups and faction forces continuing to abduct kids and join them into their fighting forces.
PROSTITUTION: Prostitution as it is, I believe is one of the easiest clubs or teams to be joined by female kids because they can be paid with hot money. In Guinea, in the region of Gueckedou where the high rate of refugees were settled, there were guest houses, hotels and clubs. I decided to take a stroll, where my first finding was that refugee kids were all over these places roaming over panting behind those that are with money who will take them for the night.
Most of these kids were extremely vulnerable to sexual predation once they reach puberty. In most war ravaged countries today, young girls are lead into prostitution, if they cannot find a home or are not taken in by a child welfare centre, they are almost certain to have to sell sex to survive. They may opt to join life with older prostitutes in their camps, where they are used as porters, or sex slaves.
In Congo there is also a story about a boy of 16 called Michael who disclosed to Refugee International that ” My sister and I joined the army because our parents were dead, and we had no jobs.. I went to the front line many times, and my sister was sent to the enemy to be a spy. Girls were sent to be prostitutes and get information from the enemy. This is how my sister was used.”
ENROLMENT: In Sierra Leone where majority of child combatant are found, their common and reasonable explanation is that, their enrolment was due to the poverty of their families, others was due to abduction, while others was because of the brutal killing of their parents or loved ones. It is believed that kids have no choice when it comes to what they can do with their lives.
In East Africa we can also see that there has been lots child abuse, in 1998 there was a camp called Dadaab camp in the Northeast Kenya where refugees were settled for safe haven but it was rather unfortunate that their camp was continuously being attacked by Somalia bandits. Women, more especially kids encountered rape and other sexual pervasion. The young mails were forced to join the rebel army or they were killed.
Dadaab is a camp that is regularly being attacked by Somalia bandits. Their main target was to rape assault and mostly abducts young girls when they left the camp to forage for fire wood. This act of the Somali bandits has caused a high rate of rape among the Somali young girls and women. Even in Kakuma camp near Kenya’s border with southern Sudan, there was also used to be raiders or bandits