Former child soldiers trade guns for tools

The Evangelical Alliance Relief Fund

PRESS RELEASE
May 27 2010

Former child soldiers trade guns for tools as NGO celebrates International day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

TEAR Fund NZ is celebrating its work around the world which helps create a better place for child victims, on International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression on Friday June 4.

TEAR Fund NZ executive director Stephen Tollestrup said, the organisation was committed to helping protect and rescue child victims of acts of aggression, such as war or slavery. One of our partners has been working among child soldiers in the north of Uganda. Watoto is helping former child soldiers readjust to life again after the end of the war in Uganda’s Gulu region.

Thousands were abducted into Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and witnessed atrocities or were forced to take part in them. Many were forced to watch as family members were killed or maimed and some were forced to take part in this violence against family members. Mr Tollestrup said he was amazed at the transformation that has taken place among the young people in the Watoto programme.

“They have experienced trauma no child should ever be exposed to but with the help of Watoto they are being given hope for their futures.”

Watoto is providing housing, trauma counselling, health, HIV treatment, reconstructive surgery for victims of mutilation, education, skills training and livelihood opportunities for the victims.

International Day of Innocent Children Victims is to raise awareness of the work being done to stem the violence or look after the young victims of violence or aggression.
Caption: Former child soldiers trade guns for tools as they learn new skills for their new lives. Photo Ian McInnes

• There are approximately 50 million uprooted people around the world - refugees who have sought safety in another country, and people displaced within their own country. Around half of this displaced population are children.
• The majority of people flee their homes because of war. It is estimated that more than two million children were killed in conflict in the last decade. Another six million are believed to have been wounded and one million orphaned.
• In recent decades the proportion of war victims who are civilians rather than combatants has leapt from five percent to more than 90 percent.
• Children in 87 countries live among 60 million land mines. As many as 10,000 per year continue to become victims of mines.
• More than 300,000 youths are serving as child soldiers around the world. Many are less than 10 years old. Many girl soldiers are forced into different forms of sexual slavery.

ENDS

© Scoop Media