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 Literature / Re: Is The Use Of Child Soldiers, A Good Phenomenon Or Not - Nigerian Online Debate by Cleopatra1: 10:52pm On Nov 24, 2012 |
ifyalways: @cleoptara, what becomes of the child soldiers after the war ? Studies have shown that a large number of ex-combatants have shown psychological resilience on re-integration. Rather than propagate more conflicts, the adversity they experienced seems to help them function better in the society. They develop an interest in leadership most of the time, with a feeling that they can make the economy that caused them to suffer, better. Nevertheless, I must admit that some attested to finding it hard in the beginning, to cope with civilian life again. 1 Like |
| Literature / Re: Is The Use Of Child Soldiers, A Good Phenomenon Or Not - Nigerian Online Debate by Cleopatra1: 10:03pm On Nov 24, 2012 |
maclatunji: @Cleopatra1: Yes, as I concede for even adults. So long the global community considers itself obligated to ensure that the problem that spurs people (children and adults together) to take up arms are addressed. No body goes looking for conflicts, but when ever it presents itself, survival should be paramount at the expense of ethical beliefs.
Yes, i would. If children are held in high regards at all, such training as I have listed (like fetching water and running errands) would be deemed necessary for their general development. |
| Literature / Re: Is The Use Of Child Soldiers, A Good Phenomenon Or Not - Nigerian Online Debate by Cleopatra1: 8:54pm On Nov 24, 2012 |
Queen Amina: By partial, I guess you mean you would rather have the young people in a community suffer in silence, as they are supposed to act weak and vulnerable under the governance of greedy elders who cheat them by, maintaining a monopoly on the little resources that is left as a result of war spoils, when they are supposed to be passing them down or sharing with the next generation? No, I don't think it is partial, as every human should be entitled to welfare rights. |
| Literature / Re: Is The Use Of Child Soldiers, A Good Phenomenon Or Not - Nigerian Online Debate by Cleopatra1: 8:22pm On Nov 24, 2012 |
Queen Victoria: Ex-combatants had testified to have learned to conduct business, and their war-network made up most of their social ties. Thus the brick-making gild in Ganta consisted mostly of ex-combatants who were applying the organizing skills they had gained through military activity. And in many cases, their former commanders worked as their contractors or brokers. (Utas, 2005) |
| Literature / Re: Is The Use Of Child Soldiers, A Good Phenomenon Or Not - Nigerian Online Debate by Cleopatra1: 6:36pm On Nov 24, 2012 |
The global humanitarian discourse on child soldiers tends to portray children as vulnerable victims, ignoring their agency and locates them in the totalising contexts of chaos and barbaric wars. While this may be justified in some contents, overall, this picture is largely misleading. I argue in Support of the Phenomenon of Child Soldiers, as I stand to convince you that taking up arms can be a sensible choice and an attractive option, even – and especially – for the young. Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. In the global policy discourse, a ‘child soldier’ is commonly defined as ‘any person under 18 years of age, who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to cooks, porters, messengers, and those accompanying such groups, other than purely as family members’ (Cape Town Principles). Going by this 'global' definition, one would imagine that the descriptions of a child soldier and the person under 18 years of age (the child), conform to the definitions of a 'child' and 'child soldiers', in all cultural contexts. However, it does not. Child Soldiers may well be groups of stone-throwing adolescents engaged in 'liberation struggles' (Wessells 2002). The definition of a child in Liberal viewpoint, which dominates the western developed world, is largely reflected in the definition of a child soldier in the global discourse. Liberal thought holds that chronological age puts a demarcation between childhood and adulthood, most commonly at 18 years. In line with this, Liberal opinion of children is that they are innocent, weak and in need of protection, rather than being agents of their own and significant contributors to social and political life. Again, it is worthy of note that this currently predominant perception of children as vulnerable and innocent, entered our mindsets only in the seventeenth century when it was pioneered by Rousseau (Twum-Danso 2005; Honwana 2006). Thus, rather than being a natural category, ‘the child’ is a “socially constructed idealization that reflects the values and agendas of particular researchers, cultures, and traditions” at a given point in time (Wessells1998: 640). Although, these definitions are well-intentioned for the protection of the category, it does no much good for their vulnerabilities, as it is best suited for societies that are politically stable, prosperous and offer life long expectancies. The definitions of a child differ in the South, as persons under 18 may well be considered adults and ready for marriage, and to provide for their family/communities, or indeed to fight. Cultural rites passage, can be a transition to adulthood in some African societies, and in others, childhood, adolescence and youth may not even be regarded as seperate stages of life. What matters, rather than children’s age is often their size (Wessells 2002). That definitions matter is evidenced by the fact that they can be decisive in determining punishment, including death, as Children have never been excluded from wars, both as victims and as combatants. It goes without saying that while participating in war, children may be wounded, raped, maimed, emotionally scarred, stigmatized, deprived of education, and “wrapped in warrior identities that make it difficult to re-enter civilian life” (Wessells 2002: 248). However, such harmful effects must not be taken as absolute, but have to be judged against the wounding, raping, maiming, emotional scarring, and deprivation of education of civilian children. It seems to be a common fallacy to be comparing children in peaceful and prosperous societies to those trying to survive in war-torn ones and conclude from this, that soldiering is entirely negative and thus, undesirable, for children. War, with its multiplier effect, often creates new social, economic, and political systems and relations, and compels people to constantly negotiate, adapt, and strategise their options and relationships, however difficult their circumstances might be. Comparing children in the same socio-political and economic conflict zones, has shown over time, that child soldiers are better off than their civilian counterparts in terms of health, material wealth, education and more. And some of the Benefits/Positives of becoming a child recruit may include; 1. Character Shapening: It is no news that many societies create situations for children, to promote their development by teaching them to embrace discomfort as opportunity rather than turning it into adversity. Evidence of this practice is seen in Sierra Leonean children, who are raised as active socio- economic agents from an early age and are taught the value of hard work and discipline. So this socio-cultural context of child labour most likely influences recruitment during war, as children would still want to develop themselves, and were regarded in Sierra Leone as necessary ‘peripheral participants’ who perform various types of ‘domestic’ labour for the military community (Ferme 2001; Francis 2007; Shepler 2005). For instance, since work such as fetching water or doing laundry has been locally established as ‘children’s work’, the rebels and government armies alike, recruited children to undertake these tasks. Likewise, the work of ‘spying’ fitted into the pattern of child labour within the peacetime practice of running adults’ errands. Even though some did participate in military activities, they did so ‘within a system in which it made sense for children to be part of adult activity’ (Shepler 2005:88). Shepler found that the majority of the younger ‘child soldier’ population in Sierra Leone, spent their war years performing this type of ‘children’s work’ (as cooks, porters, cleaners, messengers, spies, etc.) and regarded these activities as nothing special or abhorrent within their local contexts. In this regard, the local meanings of what is identified as ‘child soldiering’ were different from the meanings ascribed in the global discourse. 2. Getting a Family and avoiding the feeling of exclusion ( via fosterage and patronage): Military leaders were portrayed as father figures, and this provided motivation and comfort to young recruits. It also proved to be very effective with young fighters who despite having to cope with a wide range of deprivations and hardship, identified their worst suffering as being separated from their families and far from home (Schafer 2004). Also, this identification of fighting forces as family, has two other noteworthy effects: Firstly, it allowed ex-combatants from both sides of the conflict, to be reconciled with their former opponents as “brothers and sisters” and disavow responsibility for their actions, thus fostering peace building and reintegration. Secondly, patriarchal imagery was used within Renamo to portray relationships between male and female soldiers as incest, thereby limiting sexual violence against female combatants (Schafer 2004)...an edge over the unprotected civilian females. Also, many communities and children saw military recruitment as a type of fosterage and patronage as it also made sense for orphaned and displaced children, particularly girls, to find a patron during the war for basic necessities as well as social protection (Stovel 2006: 132) (Shepler's, 2005). As a result, despite the often gruesome experiences they underwent during the war, demobilised child soldiers often maintained a bond with their commanders and went back to their commanders to ask for assistance. Girls in particular usually sought to stay with strong ‘husband’ patrons (Utas 2004). 3. Getting an Education/ Acquisition of skills: War leads to the closure of schools, but some armed groups, such as the RUF, offered free bush-schools in their camps during the conflict (Peters 2004). Besides, military recruitment of children can be construed as a form of apprenticeship in the context of war. While the global humanitarian discourse assumes school education as a part of a ‘normal childhood’, schooling is just one (and the most elite) form of education in some communities (Ibid.) as Paul Richards (1996) explains, based on his field research: "In a patrimonial polity, where clientelism is a major means through which intergenerational transfers of knowledge and assets are achieved, young are always on the look out for new sources of patronage. Where they joined the rebels with any degree of enthusiasm, it was to see training. The arts of war are better than no arts at all. The army was simply seen as a new form of schooling" . 4. Empowerment in Youths (and curbing the abuse of power); In line with the hopes of the humanitarian agencies, many young project participants do express their conviction that they can positively contribute to the development of their community. Indeed, far from being coerced and brainwashed to fight in a barbaric war, many children and adolescents consciously think about how they can empower their communities and seem to regard political and military engagement as a legitimate means to address their grievances...especially in societies where there are more under 18's than there are 'adults', and thus cheated by community elders, resulting from their exclusion to vote. 5. Attaining adulthood and Social Status; The definition of adulthood attainment in many societies, is in social terms—through fulfilling social responsibilities and attaining economic independence (Shepler 2005: 80-3; Tefferi 2007; James and Prout 1997). In the state of conflict, the transition to social adulthood becomes increasingly difficult for civilians...as the economic downturn will leave young people with no reliable means of income, thus bring about the prospect of perpetual delay of their social transition to adulthood and adult dignity(Twum-Danso 2004: 18-9). In such situations, any kind of association with the military would be in order for basic necessities (food, free health and transport services...e.t.c), and possibly a spot, in the national elite space. It is intrinsic to see as beneficial, what is relatively more likely to ensure children’s survival in a given situation and helps fulfill their basic needs in the short-term, as opposed to adhering to certain moral or ethical standards. This is not unmarked for high importance, as survival is a necessary condition for concerning oneself with morals and ethics in the longer-term. Should Child Soldiers Be Punished? Now, going by the established fact that the definition of childhood, does not cut across all cultural contexts, it is only understandable that many people like the Sierra Leoneans, feel such abdication of the criminal responsibility of child soldiers, dissatisfying. Given their understanding of adolescents as ‘young adults’, with rights and responsibilities as well as the historical participation of youth in political violence, it is a foreign concept that anyone under the age of 18 is an innocent child and thus must be forgiven and provided with socio-economic resources for rehabilitation and reintegration. Besides, the concept of children's agency which refers to their active engagement with the world and their own efforts to cope with adversity is often not understood and ignored. This paralyzes all attempts to account for the unintended consequences of humanitarian programmes to assist ‘child soldiers’ at the local level. Understanding that the young, consciously devise means to evade their adverse life situations...even if they entail grievous risks or lead to committing crimes that hurt other people, is enough reason for them to be accountable for their actions. Making all child soldiers' culpability subject to presumptions of innocence and victimhood, is unfair to those who have suffered in the hands of the perpetrators...Clearly, attitudes to the young who fight against oppression and for liberation differ profoundly from attitudes to the youngs, who kill and maim as members of warring groups.. I say, that children's involvement in violence should be viewed and judged in ways that are contingent on the nature, length and ferocity of the conflict, the choice or lack of choice the young had in participating, the actions they carried out, and the consequences for members of the family. Punishments should be given, but lower than those for "adults". Thank you. 12 Likes |
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