Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone
Briefing notes about Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone
In 1991, The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) attacked Sierra Leone in an attempt to obtain diamonds and overthrow Joseph Momoh’s Government. The resulting civil war lasted for 11 years and left over 50,000(Hara-Kiri, 2008, 8th fact), including children recruited to fight in the war. 3,710 had been used as child soldiers with the RUF, 2,026 with the pro-government Civil Defence Forces (CDF), 471 with the Sierra Leone Army and 427 with the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). (Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers,2009, Sec. 4)
The RUF had been the first to enlist children .The government side had started recruiting children in 1991–2 under President Momoh’s authority. He encouraged chiefs to organize the civilian population into local groups to expend the Sierra Leone Army (SLA).
Some children were recruited illegally and given the role of soldiers who had been killed.
The war has lead to an educational crisis in the country, which has a literacy rate of about 20 per cent.(IRIN,(n.d),Par.1)
In 2007, the UN announced Sierra Leone as one of the least developed country in the world. (The least developing countries in the world in 2007,2007,P.32)
The war has limited agricultural production, cut government revenues from mining and destroyed schools, health clinics, and administrative facilities.
Sierra Leonean children under the age of 15 have been recruited as child soldiers in both Sierra Leone and Liberia.
After the Civil War in Sierra Leone, the RUF released 600 child soldiers. The international Rescue Committee and some other NGOs provided education, skill training and psychosocial care of 100 of them. (Odeh & Sullivan,(n.d),P.3) Out of all the countries that experienced Major Armed Conflict since 1999 Sierra Leone has been the highest globally.
(Data on child mortality,2005,p.14)
Perspective
Sierra Leone is a country notorious for its use of child soldiers in its 11-year civil
In 1991, The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) attacked Sierra Leone in an attempt to obtain diamonds and overthrow Joseph Momoh’s Government. The resulting civil war lasted for 11 years and left over 50,000(Hara-Kiri, 2008, 8th fact), including children recruited to fight in the war. 3,710 had been used as child soldiers with the RUF, 2,026 with the pro-government Civil Defence Forces (CDF), 471 with the Sierra Leone Army and 427 with the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). (Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers,2009, Sec. 4)
The RUF had been the first to enlist children .The government side had started recruiting children in 1991–2 under President Momoh’s authority. He encouraged chiefs to organize the civilian population into local groups to expend the Sierra Leone Army (SLA).
Some children were recruited illegally and given the role of soldiers who had been killed.
The war has lead to an educational crisis in the country, which has a literacy rate of about 20 per cent.(IRIN,(n.d),Par.1)
In 2007, the UN announced Sierra Leone as one of the least developed country in the world. (The least developing countries in the world in 2007,2007,P.32)
The war has limited agricultural production, cut government revenues from mining and destroyed schools, health clinics, and administrative facilities.
Sierra Leonean children under the age of 15 have been recruited as child soldiers in both Sierra Leone and Liberia.
After the Civil War in Sierra Leone, the RUF released 600 child soldiers. The international Rescue Committee and some other NGOs provided education, skill training and psychosocial care of 100 of them. (Odeh & Sullivan,(n.d),P.3) Out of all the countries that experienced Major Armed Conflict since 1999 Sierra Leone has been the highest globally.
(Data on child mortality,2005,p.14)
Perspective
Sierra Leone is a country notorious for its use of child soldiers in its 11-year civil