Topic: Reintegrating Former Child Soldiers
Country: Nigeria
Delegate Name: Meghana Ranabothu
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Nigeria position papers GLIMUN 2014 committees
Child soldiers are subjected to harsh training regimens, physical abuse, psychological abuse, and separation from family. The child soldiers often live in communities that lack sufficient medical care facilities and lack treatment for severe mental trauma. The 1990 Conventions on the Rights of the Child has set the minimum recruitment age at 15, most child soldiers are under the age of 10. The practice of child soldiering stems from malnutrition, weak political institutions, and persistent cycles of poverty. Many child soldiers are abducted and beaten into submission, others join military groups to escape poverty, and others join to defend their communities. Children are recruited by armed groups during conflict times. Nigeria’s Child Rights Act (2003) states: “No child shall be recruited into any of the branches of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” The problem of child soldiers became regional conflicts, particularly in Africa, where child soldiers are most prevalent.
Nigeria’s government supports reintegrating child soldiers back into society. Organizations in Nigeria facilitate education counseling and public services for child soldiers. Services were implemented into societies in order to successfully reintegrate physically or mentally damaged child veterans. The DRC, United States Agency for International Development, helps reintegrate victims into their communities safely and helps prevent future abduction, trafficking, and sexual violence. The program provides a package of services to victims, including psychological counseling, family tracing and mediation, health assistance, education, skills training, social activities, and economics assistance in Nigeria. UNICEF and its protection partners facilitated the release and temporary care of 2,229 children that were formerly associated with armed forces and groups. UNICEF in collaboration with NGO supported the reintegration of children in Nigeria.
The UNICEF and a number of NGO’s have been working on programs to stop the use of child soldiers and to reintegrate them into safe and secure communities in Nigeria and other countries. In order for a country to successfully implement an integrated education system, reforms and constant efforts should be made to facilitate education to any former child soldiers. Providing free and public education in a national level will be helpful to child soldiers. We encourage UNICEF to fund more programs that will provide services to help former soldiers deal with the effects of war and also provide security against violence. Other countries should work together with UNICEF, DRC, and other organizations that stand ready to help reintegrate child soldiers.
