Former Lord's Resistance Army child soldier abductees: Explorations of identity in reintegration and reconciliation.

Abstract

This article explores the reintegration experiences of former Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) child abductees into Acholi society in Northern Uganda. Based on interviews with 10 former abductees who were returned to communities for 2 years or more, it explores identity transitions for youth from pre-abduction, to their forced abduction into the LRA and subsequent escape and reintegration. Returnees such as those who have been members of the LRA for a long time, or who have been implicated in the commission of major human rights violations, appear to be at higher risk of rejection on return. Drawing on concepts of relational identity, the paper questions whether there is a role for some culturally grounded forum that can acknowledge identity transitions that some former abductees and their communities may have experienced with respect to each other. Traditional justice and reconciliation approaches, adapted to incorporate international child rights and protection safeguards, could provide such a forum and complement psychosocial reintegration initiatives for returnees at high risk of community rejection. To date, psychosocial rehabilitation and reintegration programs have failed to adequately address issues of impunity.The presence and participation of children in war and conflict is not a new phenomenon. During the last few decades, however, a shift has occurred from using children and adolescents-defined by the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child as being below 18 years of age-not only as adjuncts to or the last line of defense in conflict, but also as principal participants in many conflicts. Between 1998 and 2001 children were being used as soldiers in at least 87 out of 178 countries,

Formation of Identity in Wartime El Salvador: Protective and Harmful Factors

“…She did not trust or feel a part of the group, yet felt alienated from those outside the group. Like the abducted children in Uganda who were forced to attack members of their community or those in similar communities (Veale & Stavrou, 2007), she developed identity conflicts. Her male counterpart, who had been forcibly recruited by the guerrillas, had much interaction with others guerrilla fighters and began to identify with the FMLN.…”

“…Researchers used a socio-cultural model, where identity was formed through participation in an organized space called ''communities of practice'' where mature practitioners passed on knowledge and practice to novices practitioners (Veale & Stavrou, 2007). After being abducted, children resisted absorbing the identity of the rebel group but had a great deal of conflict when they went from abductees to soldiers.…”

Divergent Discourses, Children and Forced Migration

“…Community members described returned children and young people who had been through psychosocial reintegration programmes as 'less rude' and as 'having more respect for people and elders' (Veale and Stavrou 2007). In northern Uganda this programming has tended to depoliticise the position of children and call for a focus on child rights and welfare.…”

“…In Uganda, former child-soldier abductees reported that they were welcomed back, as people saw that they were victims who had been taken against their will; however, if they got angry or aggressive for any reason, they experienced a shift from being identified as a friend or peer to identification as a 'rebel' (Veale and Stavrou 2007). In international discourse, and increasingly within international law, former child soldiers are considered primarily as victims of conflict (Coˆ te´ 2005: 4).…”

Could rebel child soldiers prolong civil wars?

“…Veale and Stavrou (2007) for instance, have explored the issue of changing identities of child soldiers due to abduction and its effect on reintegration. Other scholars like, Dickson-Gómez (2002), Berkowitz (1993), and Bandura (1973) have examined how social learning processes influence the mental and behavior changes that a child undergoes in the context of war.…”