Tagged: child soldier

A man in the foreground smiling as children sit on chairs in a courtyard in the background.

Towards peace and hope for former child soldiers

Impact

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Story also available in: Français
In Kasai, one of poorest regions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), children are the first victims of the conflict that ignited in August 2016. Wherever violence erupts, children are recruited into militias. UNICEF and its partners have helped 826 former and released child soldiers by providing psycho-social services and… Read more →←

African children in conflict and crisis

Experts speak

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Story also available in: Français Español
I have a confession to make. Promise not to judge me, will you? When I first heard about the ‘Day of the African Child’, I had no idea what it was. I know, I know, being a young woman from Kenya this is incredulous, isn’t it? Thank heavens for Google! Turns out it’s a day specifically dedicated to celebrating the African Child.… Read more →←
A young man with a rifle.

The grieving mother of a child soldier

Children in emergencies

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Story also available in: Français العربية 中文
The room looks exactly as he left it 3 months ago. His personal belongings lie as they were, folded neatly where he put them on his bed. A desolate mother sits in the middle of all his memories. Miryam lost her son Mohammed to a conflict he should never have been a part of. His loss has plunged Miryam’s world into a dark place of… Read more →←
Two women sit in a room, one's face is blurred.

I had problems at home. So I joined an armed group.

Insider

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Story also available in: Español
With negotiations under way for a future peace deal in Colombia, UNICEF has obtained a rare interview with a young woman just released from an armed group after spending 6 years in the jungle. In her words, this is her story. Things were bad at home, so bad that I lost the will to live. I thought if I joined an armed group, I would get… Read more →←
Three young men, arm in arm, backs to the camera.

Never look back: former child soldiers crafting new lives

Big picture

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Story also available in: Français Español
Seventeen-year-old Abdi, in the blue overalls of an electrician trainee, is fixing the red and blue electrical wires hooked onto a wooden board. Not far away, one of his fellow trainees has climbed a ladder to check on the florescent light to which Abdi’s wires are connected: It won’t light up. “I used to be brave – a lion –… Read more →←

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