DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (DRC)
The problems of reintegrating
child soldiers
The disarmament effort of the UN Mission in the
Democratic Republic of Congo, known as MONUC, has brought almost
3,000 minors into the care of child-protection agencies working in
the northeastern district of Ituri.
They are doing their best to reintegrate the so-called child
soldiers into society, but many end up in trouble.
“In the militia we smoked dope and we shot. I did not mind that
others killed people, I am sure they had good reasons to do that,” a
15-year-old former soldier told IRIN in March, at a centre for
reintegrating children in Bunia, Ituri's main town.
Many of the youngsters were forced to become
porters, cooks, cleaners and spies, and “were often victims of daily
psychological, verbal and physical violence”, according to Massimo
Nicoletti-Altimari, head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Bunia.
Officially, these children are not former child soldiers but
“children associated with armed groups”. As such, they receive
special treatment once they arrive at a disarmament site. They are
separated from the adult militiamen and, after registration, quickly
returned to their families. However, this is often difficult.
“Finding families of former child soldiers can prove almost
impossible, with the lack of communication facilities and the
current security problems in Ituri,” Bienvenue Panda, UNICEF's
protection officer in Bunia, told IRIN.
Many of these children's parents are no longer in their home
villages, but in towns and camps for internally displaced persons,
and cannot be easily traced.
After abduction
The story of one child, 14-year-old Anna, is
typical of many girls who were kidnapped by militias. She told IRIN
how she ended up as a prostitute.
“I was taken by force, but then got used to staying with the
soldiers,” she said. “When I was 12, I had to cook food for them.
When the foreign troops arrived I left them.”
She said that because she could not go back to her family, she now
survives as a prostitute.
“My family is far and I live with my grandmother who is poor. I
survive together with other children in the centre of Bunia town,”
she said.
According to UNICEF, such girls were often raped whilst abducted by
militias, exposing them to HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and
pregnancy.
By the end of March, only about 1,500 children of
those who had registered with UNICEF had been returned to their
parents — mainly those from villages near the registration sites.
The others were handed over to orientation and transit centres for
children (CTOs), run by NGOs with the support of UNICEF. There they
received shelter, food and schooling.
“In tracing families of children who came from faraway places we had
only 10 percent success. Some of the minors [have] already [been]
stuck in the CTOs [for] six months,” Panda said.
In some cases, families do not even want their children back.
“Some children are no longer accepted because they are violent and
maltreat their parents,” Panda said. “Even their language is
affected. The term 'I want to kill you' comes very easily — death
became a banality for them.”
Charles, 17, previously recruited by the predominantly Hema militia
group Union des patriotes Congolais, is now living in a CTO run by
Caritas, a Catholic aid agency, in Bunia.
“We did not kill for pleasure, but for revenge only,” he told IRIN.
He added that it had been safer for him to stay
with the militias than at his home village, which was attacked
several times.
Unlike adult fighters, former child soldiers are not required to
give up any guns in order to benefit from the reintegration
programmes that are available to surrendering militias.
Each child receives a basic kit, which includes a shirt, trousers,
shoes, a sleeping mat, a blanket and toiletries.
According to UNICEF, “the provision of civilian clothing is an
important part of the reintegration process, as many children arrive
at the disarmament sites wearing military uniforms.” It also helps
them to forget their past.
Another former child soldier, 12-year-old David, who lives in the
Caritas CTO in Bunia, told IRIN: “The militias threatened to kill my
parents when they refused to hand me over to them. My brothers were
also forced to join the militias — one was killed. I hate the
militias.”
New routines
Reintegrating these abused children into normal
life requires psychological care and lots of patience.
According to UNICEF, most children want to go home and back to
school. However, there are also many examples of children who do not
want to rejoin their families. “One child we demobilised started
crying, asking 'What will I do without my family? The army is my
family.' He was with the Forces armees du peuple congolais militia
for one year and, before that, in several other militias,” Panda
said.
A Caritas psychologist, Jean-Paul Dhelo, told IRIN that he was
making sure the children were not abused again.
“Families and foster families have to sign a paper — that the
children won't be sent back to the militias and that they respect
the children's human rights,” he said. “We follow-up what happens to
them.”
Despite efforts by humanitarian aid workers to reintegrate them,
some children still end up in trouble.
“It is a fact that many girls who were sexually abused are finally
ending up on the street again, working as prostitutes,” Panda said.
Some boys end up as criminals
Edward, 17, used to escort a local influential
figure and fight with militias he said were backed by foreigners.
“I remember the war in Chai, Marabo and Peka which lasted three
days. It was bloody, all my friends died and I killed many people,”
Edward said.
“After the arrival of the MONUC troops I left. I was hidden away for
several months so that my bosses could not find me,” he added.
Eventually, Edward found a foster family in Saio, a suburb of Bunia.
Many are now afraid of him there.
“He joined armed bandits, usually goes out at midnight and comes
back in the morning,” his former best friend, Francis, told IRIN.
Edward's foster father, Papa Hadji, recalled a day
when local youths from the neighbourhood beat up the boy because he
had stolen something. “Suddenly militias showed up to free him,”
Hadji said.
Hadji sees Edward as “a real danger to the public”. However, Edward
said his actions were a matter of survival and would, once he made
money, stop stealing and become a mechanic.
“In my new family everybody is busy looking for food. I need $30 to
start a cigarette-selling business,” he said.
Editor's Note: All children's names in this
article have been changed to protect their identities
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
12 April 2005
