Former Child Soldiers’ Problems and Needs

Abstract

With this article, we explore how staff working at transit centers and vocational training centers in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo experienced the problems and needs of former child soldiers. We argued that the staff's experience of the children's daily lives and their understanding of the sociocultural context of the conflict make their perspective a valuable source of information when trying to understand the phenomenon of child soldiering. Additionally, we reasoned that how the staff frame these children's problems influences how they attempt to aid the children. We conducted 11 semistructured interviews and analyzed these using a hermeneutical-phenomenological approach. We clustered our findings around six themes: unfavorable contextual factors, acting as if still in the army, addiction, symptoms of psychopathology, social rejection, and reintegration needs. The overarching message we observed was that the informants experienced that former child soldiers require help to be transformed into civilians who participate proactively in their society.

Understanding Stigmatisation: Results of a Qualitative Formative Study with Adolescents and Adults in DR Congo

“…Stereotyping substance abuse of CAAFAG was identified, comparable to addictions described as a challenge for former child soldiers in DRC (Johannessen and Holgersen 2014) and consistent to references of ill mental health in Uganda (Schneider et al 2018). CAAFAG referred to the community fear that they remained indoctrinated with 'military style', echoing similar sentiments from peers in Colombia (Denov and Marchand 2014) and another study in DRC (Johannessen and Holgersen 2014). Fear of HIV transmission, mentioned regarding CAAFAG in Uganda (Schneider et al 2018), was allocated in this study only to unmarried mothers.…”

“…Three studies have researched the stigmatisation of CAAFAG, or more specifically girls associated with armed forces and groups in DRC. These studies have described social rejection, reference to addiction and 'acting as if still in the army' (Johannessen and Holgersen 2014), the name-calling and maltreatment of girls associated with armed forces and groups by neighbours, family and peers (Tonheim 2012) and the experiences of discriminatory treatment, challenges to return to former friendships, and consequences on marriage prospects (Tonheim 2014), amongst others. Studies in other countries have further described stigmatisation of CAAFAG, such as in Sierra Leone, where former child soldiers perceived discrimination which affected their mental health (Betancourt et al 2010).…”

The Challenges Facing Children Reunified With Their Families From an Orphanage in Ghana

“…In developing countries, the limited family resources and the absence of social service provision mean that reunification of children represents an additional financial strain on families (Braitstein, ; Johannessen and Holgersen, ). The economic hardship that reunification brings affect the care that reunified children receive.…”

Forced migration: Health and human rights issues among refugee populations

“…While they are at this interim center, the staff attempts to find their families or relatives so that the child soldier can be returned to his or her home village. Johannessen & Holgersen (2014) noted in interviews with eleven liberated child soldiers from the Congo that most of them reported they had escaped on their own and eventually made their way back to their home country and/or village.…”

“…Drug and alcohol abuse has also been identified as a major problem in the social reintegration of former child soldiers as most of them used drugs extensively during combat situations (Beah, 2007; Lundqvist, 2005). The overarching and consistent message of all studies and official reports is that former African child soldiers require considerable help to be transformed into civilians who participate proactively in their society (Johannessen & Holgersen, 2014. )…”