Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mannar (Agenzia Fides) – The civil war in Sri Lanka has left behind deep marks and wounds in the lives of the children there, especially as a result of the sad reality of child soldiers who were often kidnapped and used by Tamil rebels. At present, the Salesians are working to offer rehabilitation to these children. According to the “Alliance Against the Use of Child Soldiers,” they were recruited by rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), without their family's knowledge, especially in the areas of Batticaloa, Jaffna, and Mannar.
While in the past, the children were abused and indoctrinated, they are now welcomed and educated with love. “Several of the former child soldiers are now teachers and look after the other children. This is our contribution to the peace process, in a concrete manner,” the Salesians of Muurunkan, in the Diocese of Mannar. The government itself asked the religious to care for over 500 children who had been former fighters in the Tamil rebels' ranks. The children have been distributed among 17 centers throughout the island, where the Salesians see to their full physical, psychological, social, and cultural rehabilitation.
They are children around 11-12 years of age who have seen violence, have killed persons, and have watched their companions die. They are children who have been mutilated by soldiers, educated in hate and revenge, who now want to forget the war. The Salesians offer them lodging, schooling, and professional training as artisans and mechanics. Above all, “we offer them a new life of serenity and love, without the violence that they were unfortunately accustomed to,” the religious of Mannar say. “Carrying around a weapon can seem exciting at first, but first-hand experiences of fighting and death leave traumas and wounds that are difficult to heal,” they said.
The agents and volunteers of the Mannar Center are searching for healing: “At the beginning, they arrive scared, closed, and intimidated. They have physical illnesses and psychological problems. Little by little, they begin to heal, they open themselves, they gain confidence, they start going to school and are ready to learn. They were hoping for a normal life, with playing, like normal children.”
According to the UNICEF, there have been at least 50,000 child soldiers used in 20 years of war, in addition to the orphans, abandoned children, refugees, and those who have been wounded or affected by the conflict. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 15/7/2009)
