In those days the proliferation of small arms provided children with opportunities to fight against adults equally. It encourages the recruitment of children as combatants. Moreover, children have not developed their identify fully so it is easier to train children rather than mature people. (Russell & Gozdziak, 2006).
In Sri Lanka, a quota system, which discourages passing grades for Tamils, offers a Tamil Tiger a reason to recruit children as solders. Children “were told they had no future in their country unless they fought and were willing to die in the war that had begun before they were born” (Mitchell, 2006). The battlefield is commonplace for them since they were very young.
Recently in Uganda, “although there is no peace agreement in sight, many international and local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) hope to assist in bringing all the child soldiers home once the war has ended” (Russell & Gozdziak, 2006). However, There is an argument between centre-based rehabilitation and community-based approach. Centre-based programme can provide specialized care with experts for trauma before they go back home, but practically, in a community-based approach, children show rapid recovery from the physical effects of war. In practice, there are three factors, which support children’s recovery, “individual personalities, supportive family and community environment, and external agencies (such as NGOs) that function as support systems for strengthening and reinforcing a child's coping efforts” (Russell & Gozdziak, 2006).
Suggestions/Recommendations
Child soldiers need three main aspects for rehabilitation; both of the internal and external community that support them, and personal motivation.
First, they need support for mental and physical rehabilitation. However, conditions of child soldiers are all different. Some are addicted by drugs, and some are alcoholic. Also, every soldier has different experience. Some have really basic primary education, but some do not even know their families. Moreover, during wars, some became adults while the other are still children. Each condition requires different treatment. Therefore, each NGO should narrow their object and they should construct strategies to support rehabilitation of their children. It is difficult to support all children for a NGO, but they can share their jobs, depending on their specialties. Highly drug addicted children would need experts help through a centre-based approach, while community-based works would help psychosocial rehabilitation for less addicted children. Then, a NGO with some medical experts should act as a centre-based organisation, which protects children from real society. Other NGOs should work to connect the local community and children for integration.
Secondly, they need dream for their future to motivate themselves, but on a battlefield survival is the main purpose and they cannot think about their future. So, the NGO should provide them peace places where no one abducts them. Then, they need education to make dreams come true or to get employed. The contents of education are important to support their economical situation, independence and reconstruction of countries. If the educational system is not prepared enough and the economy of the country cannot have competitiveness in the global market, monetary NGOs cannot support long-term rehabilitation and development. NGOs should focus on education about Information Technology and foreign languages. Particularly, software-programming industries that require fewer infrastructures such as Internet connections, a minimum amount of electricity and computers, compared to factories that require facilities, transportation systems, more electricity, and raw materials. Moreover, productivity per capita of programming work tends to be higher than other industries, so computing offers better living standards for employees. In addition, if they have competitive technological and language skills, they are able to find better jobs in developed countries when they leave their countries. No government wants to lose their domestic labours, so the presser would encourage commanders to face peace agreement, which sustain their society and attract people.
In Sri Lanka, a quota system, which discourages passing grades for Tamils, offers a Tamil Tiger a reason to recruit children as solders. Children “were told they had no future in their country unless they fought and were willing to die in the war that had begun before they were born” (Mitchell, 2006). The battlefield is commonplace for them since they were very young.
Recently in Uganda, “although there is no peace agreement in sight, many international and local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) hope to assist in bringing all the child soldiers home once the war has ended” (Russell & Gozdziak, 2006). However, There is an argument between centre-based rehabilitation and community-based approach. Centre-based programme can provide specialized care with experts for trauma before they go back home, but practically, in a community-based approach, children show rapid recovery from the physical effects of war. In practice, there are three factors, which support children’s recovery, “individual personalities, supportive family and community environment, and external agencies (such as NGOs) that function as support systems for strengthening and reinforcing a child's coping efforts” (Russell & Gozdziak, 2006).
Suggestions/Recommendations
Child soldiers need three main aspects for rehabilitation; both of the internal and external community that support them, and personal motivation.
First, they need support for mental and physical rehabilitation. However, conditions of child soldiers are all different. Some are addicted by drugs, and some are alcoholic. Also, every soldier has different experience. Some have really basic primary education, but some do not even know their families. Moreover, during wars, some became adults while the other are still children. Each condition requires different treatment. Therefore, each NGO should narrow their object and they should construct strategies to support rehabilitation of their children. It is difficult to support all children for a NGO, but they can share their jobs, depending on their specialties. Highly drug addicted children would need experts help through a centre-based approach, while community-based works would help psychosocial rehabilitation for less addicted children. Then, a NGO with some medical experts should act as a centre-based organisation, which protects children from real society. Other NGOs should work to connect the local community and children for integration.
Secondly, they need dream for their future to motivate themselves, but on a battlefield survival is the main purpose and they cannot think about their future. So, the NGO should provide them peace places where no one abducts them. Then, they need education to make dreams come true or to get employed. The contents of education are important to support their economical situation, independence and reconstruction of countries. If the educational system is not prepared enough and the economy of the country cannot have competitiveness in the global market, monetary NGOs cannot support long-term rehabilitation and development. NGOs should focus on education about Information Technology and foreign languages. Particularly, software-programming industries that require fewer infrastructures such as Internet connections, a minimum amount of electricity and computers, compared to factories that require facilities, transportation systems, more electricity, and raw materials. Moreover, productivity per capita of programming work tends to be higher than other industries, so computing offers better living standards for employees. In addition, if they have competitive technological and language skills, they are able to find better jobs in developed countries when they leave their countries. No government wants to lose their domestic labours, so the presser would encourage commanders to face peace agreement, which sustain their society and attract people.