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Child Soldiers In Sierra Leone Essay

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Child Soldiers In Sierra Leone Essay
Intro to Graduate Humanities

8 June 2013

Psychological effects on Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone and the Reintegration Process

Broad History: The Sierra Leone Civil War began in 1991 and lasted eleven years, leaving over 50,000 people dead. It started when the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) began taking over territories all over the country that were rich in diamonds. It is estimated that 11,000 child soldiers were recruited and, most often, forced into joining the RUF. They were forced to perform barbaric acts and murder their own people and sometimes their own families. The youngest RUF child soldier was only five years old. The psychological effects have been proven to be extremely detrimental and debilitating. …show more content…
More than 300,000 soldiers under the age of 18 are fighting in conflicts in 41 countries around the world. The problem has been particularly serious in Sierra Leone where thousands of children have participated directly in armed conflict or have been recruited for labor or sexual exploitation among armed groups. Despite international concern about children in armed conflict, minimal research has been dedicated to this problem.

My research paper will study the experiences and perspectives of former child soldiers in Sierra Leone and investigate the implications of their participation in armed conflict. This thesis will delve into and examine the child soldier phenomenon in Sierra Leone, particularly the rehabilitation and reintegration of former child soldiers into community life.

Hypothesis/Outcome: My hopes for this research paper are to get an analysis of the psychological effects on child soldiers and in what ways is the rehabilitation process working, or not working. I hope to have an answer as to why the reintegration process has been so unsuccessful and what has become of these children lost in society. How does society treat/view them? How do they treat/view society? And finally, what is the country of Sierra Leone doing to aid them in their recovery
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