Abdullah was recruited and used for the armed forces as a child. After he was released, he was treated differently by his friends and family and faced difficulties controlling his emotions. Because of this, he was initially unable to complete his studies, and he had difficulty improving his situation due to stigmatization and trauma. [...]
The following is a testimony from Jean, a former child soldier who is now advocating for the reintegration of children formerly associated with armed groups and forces. Below the transcript is the original audio in video format: "Bonjour, Depuis que j’ai regagné la maison, je m’entends si bien avec ma famille. Ce qui est plus [...]
This story was produced in cooperation with UNICEF Philippines In the 1960s, a conflict erupted in the Mindanao region of the Philippines between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the latter seeking to establish a region with greater autonomy from the central government. In the following years, the MNLF split into several [...]
This story was produced in cooperation with WPDI "I don't want any other children to suffer as I did" Rajab is an enthusiastic 26 years old South Sudanese national currently living in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement, located by the town of Bweyale in Uganda. This refugee settlement hosts over 65,000 people, of which 80% [...]
This story was produced in collaboration with the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI) “The recruitment and use of children exposes them to serious harm that can cause life-long damage to their physical and psychological health.” Reframing Child Reintegration: From humanitarian action to development, prevention, peacebuilding and beyond - Global Coalition for Reintegration of Child Soldiers [...]
This story was produced by When the conflict erupted in 2019 in Birao, Central African Republic, Zinah was 12 years old and lived with her mother. “I come from a poor family. My father died when I was young. We were four [at home] and my mother took care of us. It was very [...]
Dreaming of Mali Poem by Mariam, National Children’s Parliament Mali I dream of Mali, united and safe; where all colors blend together -white, black, yellow and red- and where our cultural diversity is our greatest strength. I dream of Mali, where we -registered at birth- can be children And enjoy an equal right to heal, to [...]
As the world is getting ready to mark the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers on February 12th, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG CAAC), Ms. Virginia Gamba, made a strong plea for increasing prevention efforts to better protect children from hostilities during the African Union Summit [...]
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and the Permanent Missions of Belgium and Sweden to the United Nations, have the honor to invite you to a High-level event to launch the “Practical guidance for mediators to protect children in situations of armed conflict” This event will take place on the [...]
Original story published by UNSOM One hundred twenty-six former Al-Shabaab combatants today graduated from the Baidoa Rehabilitation Centre in Somalia’s South West State after completing an intensive rehabilitation programme. The programme graduates, comprising youths from various parts of the country, received vocational training and psychological support from the centre. They thanked the programme managers, saying [...]
