Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Freetown (Fides Service) - “The most difficult thing is to help the youngsters find their identity again” Father Giuseppe Berton, Xaverian missionary in Sierra Leone told Fides. For years Father Berton has worked to rescue and rehabilitate children forced to fight in Sierra Leone’s civil war. Civil war in Sierra Leone started in 1991 and continued off and on until January 2002. Awful atrocities against civilians were committed on both sides: kidnapping, mutilation, rape, abduction and forced enlisting of child soldiers. The guerrilla group RUF, United Revolutionary Front, is blamed for most of these crimes now being examined by a special Court for Sierra Leone set up by the United Nations. According to the United Nations in Sierra Leone no less than 6,845 child soldiers who had fought with either rebels or government troops were de-mobilised between May 2001 and January 2002.
“Now that the process of disarming child soldiers has been completed there is the difficult stage of reinsertion in normal life” Father Berton told Fides. “Although still children, they have jumped certain stages of psychological development and lived the terrible experience of war. Moreover people are often negative in their attitude towards these boys who played an active part in the violence which has devastated the country: they are not always willing to accept them and help them resume a normal life”.
Father Berton explains: “the reinsertion of the boys is not easy. Many were taken from their families at a very young age and have known nothing but war. Moreover today many of them have no family or home to return to. Every one of them suffers from deep psychological trauma. In a society people are identified by a series of information, and children too: home address, name of parents, occupation etc. These boys lost their identity. What we try to do is to give them a home, a family and restore their social identity, give them a place with which they can identify” Father Berton told Fides.
“Older boys often have more difficulty. Many who are now almost adults have no education, no training for work. To help them join the labour force, we have organised courses of basic education and craft/technical training.
“For the little ones it is perhaps easier to readapt to normal life. They start school and gradually learn how to live as civilians again after being forcefully torn from childhood. But sad to say many escape our concern and are drawn into the infernal ring of drug abuse and drug trafficking, situations no less tragic than unemployment” Father Berton told Fides.
“However I must say that although deeply marked and traumatised by war, these boys have no hatred in their hearts. When they meet and look back on their experience they often laugh and joke. One might say: ‘ On that day I was attacking that village and where were you?’ the other may reply: ‘I was on the other side, running away from you’ and with a good laugh they put it all behind them ” Father Berton said.
Child soldiers still fight in wars in Burundi, Colombia, and Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 27/3/2004, righe 46 parole 564)
