Forced Conscription of Children During Armed Conflict: Experiences of Former Child Soldiers in Northern Uganda

• NCJ Number: 236153
• Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 35 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2011 Pages: 551-562
• Author(s): Sofie Vindevogel; Kathleen Coppens; Ilse Derluyn; Maarten De Schryver; Gerrit Loots; Eric Broekaert
• Date Published: July 2011
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This study focused on gaining knowledge about the scope and nature of war-related experiences of children forced to be captive solders in the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda, with attention to risk factors for and increased exposure to warfare among former child soldiers.

Abstract

The study identified a variety of abuses experienced by these child soldiers. The former child soldiers who participated in this study were uprooted from their homes, families, and villages and held captive by the LRA for an average of more than 1 year. For some, this encompassed their entire adolescence. During this period of captivity, all were directly exposed to warfare. They were victimized by being forced to live in adverse living conditions typified by scarcity of resources, physical exploitation, insecurity, and uncertainty about whether they would live or die. Most regularly witnessed various atrocities, such as observing people die from wounds, starvation, or murder. In addition, the majority reported they also acted as perpetrators of atrocities, mostly targeting civilians or other armed factions. Receiving military training and long-term captivity was linked to an increased likelihood of witnessing and perpetrating atrocities. The variations in war-related experiences during child soldiering support the hypothesis that former child soldiers are a heterogeneous group that defies any generalization about how they have been affected by their experiences; however, all are in need of psychological support, assistance in tracing their relatives, and a gradual transition from military to civilian life. This study used descriptive statistics, analysis of covariance, and regression analysis with information obtained from databases of four former Interim Care Centers for returned child soldiers in northern Uganda. These databases encompassed socio-demographic information for 8,790 returnees; additional data came from the Rachele Rehabilitation Center on the war-related experiences of 1,995 former child soldiers. 5 tables and 45 references