Stories

Questions and Answers on the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers

How many child soldiers are there in the world? Click to read the stories of children affected by armed conflict. Tens of thousands of boys and girls are recruited and used as child soldiers by armed forces and armed groups in conflict in countries around the world. The United Nations monitors who [...]

2023-02-06T15:25:59-05:00Monday, 6 February 2023|

Voices for reintegration: Interview with Abdullah

Abdullah was recruited and used by the armed forces as a child. After his release, he was treated differently by his friends and family and faced difficulties controlling his emotions. As a result, he was initially unable to complete his studies, and he had difficulty improving his situation due to stigmatization and trauma. Through [...]

2023-02-02T11:23:59-05:00Wednesday, 14 December 2022|

Advocating for reintegration: Testimony from former child soldier

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 [...]

2022-12-14T15:22:38-05:00Wednesday, 14 December 2022|

Philippines: Addressing Child Protection Issues as a Confidence-Building Measure Amid the Peace Process

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 [...]

2021-11-09T09:53:00-05:00Tuesday, 9 November 2021|

From Child Soldier to Youth Leader and Peacemaker

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% [...]

2021-06-11T06:38:04-04:00Friday, 11 June 2021|

Trauma Healing: a Key Component of Child Reintegration

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 [...]

2021-04-07T09:19:48-04:00Wednesday, 7 April 2021|

The Story of Zinah, Formerly Associated with an Armed Group in the Central African Republic

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 [...]

2021-03-16T06:59:35-04:00Monday, 8 March 2021|

Dreaming of Mali / Le Mali de mes rêves

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 [...]

2021-03-17T06:32:33-04:00Monday, 20 July 2020|

African Union Summit: SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict Calls for Increased Cooperation in Preventing Grave Violations Against Children

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 [...]

2020-02-11T12:21:00-05:00Tuesday, 11 February 2020|

High level event – Launch of the Practical guidance for mediators to protect children in situations of armed conflict

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 [...]

2021-03-17T07:12:55-04:00Tuesday, 4 February 2020|
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