Elements of Terrorism Can Be Groomed At Early Age
The recruitment of child soldiers around the world can be a breeding ground for terrorism. Whilst children are in themselves terrorized by violence, they continue to be dangerous to the lives of others when conscripted as child soldiers, and forced to even turn their guns against their very parents, families and friends upon whose survival their welfare once depended. The use of children in armed conflict will belie the good intention of a very important instrument adopted ten years ago; the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in which the UN Secretary General remarked: "we have no higher priority, no prouder achievement, than our work for the rights of children!"
I remembered that my country was locked in the quizzical position of beauty, wealth, brutality and poverty, which existed side by side in a decade of war that has now completely ended. The sustained peaceful pace and democracy in Sierra Leone today has ushered in a new glimmer of hope to stop the drafting of children into soldiers. It is my wish that this will be a shiny example in other dozens of countries around the globe today, where children have become direct participants in warfare often to the chagrin of well meaning citizens around the world.
I came to North America, as a research scholar at McGill's Sauvé Scholars Program, and realized that these issues and problems affecting children used in armed conflict has not been granted the full attention it deserves in this part of the world. I knew that Canada's strategic place in the world, its history and record of human rights and peace can be a powerful pedestal for me to launch my campaigns to calm the rough tides of warfare in which children were adrift. I realized that the subject of child soldiers was not much talked about in the Canadian community and schools, and that the combination of theory and practical efforts will never hurt, but serve to assuage these problems. It came to mind that the few people who knew about the problems of child soldiers were either not motivated or encouraged to continue the campaign, and worst still, some were not moved to take actions but simply look away and ignore.
Yet, in my inquiry, I had the chance to speak with a group of sensitized students who believed that they can join in my efforts to help make a better place for the children of the world. It is my nurturing faith that in this collective efforts and joint advocacies, unrelenting campaigns, we can put this misery in which children are bespattered to a complete stop. Having seen children dramatically changed for the worse, it is my request to find solutions to stop the indiscriminate recruiting of children and the problems of small arms proliferation that falls in children’s grip. In shedding light on these problems, I am expectant that it will help transform that tragedy into positive elements on which children’s lives can be made whole again and from which good things can be fashioned.
Indeed, for children and youth who survived wars and hostilities as child soldiers, a long-term process of reinserting them into societies remains a mammoth task. There needs to be viable alternatives to involving children in armed conflict and to also help them resume life in the community, by teaching them to be responsible and discover their talents and inherent strength as well as the capability to flourish and survive. This reintegration and rehabilitation process will mean the provision of not only relief and food, but also education and training on all fronts, psycho-social support, and appropriate strategies for economic and livelihood. This has been my major pre-occupation for the last six years using the power of educational tele-communications technology tools to help in the healing process. iEARN's incredible global learning network has inspired such trans-border and trans-cultural online interaction of youth from Sierra Leone and around the world. My efforts have also enabled children to network and create scenarios of 'No War Zones' in their community, inspired by collaboration with War Child Canada. This network of young people exchanging peaceful ideas and concerns for human rights, I hope, will usher in world peace in the near future viewed from an optimistic prism.
I feel strongly that all of us can help to stop the use of child soldiers and that we must no longer be silent about it as the elements of terrorism can be groomed at such an early age.
A McGill University student I interviewed for my research, using new media video for Sauvé Scholars video documentary entitled: "Student Speak Out: Stop the Use of Child Soldiers," has this to say: "If we don't fight to stop child soldiers, we are basically promising ourselves that there will be child soldiers in the future and that will be a poor future for all of us."
*The views expressed are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily express the views of RESPECT International, nor the staff of the RESPECT e-Zine.