The level of brutality and violence against children abducted and forcefully conscripted by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda pricked the conscience of humanity. The suffering of the people in northern Uganda was described by Jan Egeland, the former United Nations Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, as 'the biggest forgotten humanitarian crisis in the world'. This study is primarily concerned with the plight of child soldiers in northern Uganda and how their effective reintegration and rehabilitation (RR) could lead to successful peacebuilding. The study is premised on the hypothesis that 'the promotion of the RR of former child soldiers by providing psychosocial support based on traditional and indigenous resources may contribute to conditions of peace and stability in northern Uganda'. The main contribution of this research is that it explores the relevance of psychosocial support based on the traditional and indigenous resources to the RR of child soldiers and peacebuilding of war-torn societies. Psychosocial support based on traditional and indigenous resources as an element of peacebuilding has been the neglected element of peacebuilding by the liberal peacebuilding interventions in most war-torn societies. For example, while traditional and indigenous resources in northern Uganda have been instrumental in the RR of former child soldiers, most scholars and policy makers have largely paid attention to the usual official government and United Nations structured top-down interventions that emphasize Western approaches of peacebuilding. More so, the official approaches have tended to marginalize the plight of former child soldiers in the reconstruction and peacebuilding of northern Uganda. Yet, failing to pay sufficient attention to effective RR of child soldiers could undermine the peace dividends already achieved in northern Uganda. The study also analyses the limitations of psychosocial support based on traditional and indigenous resources in the RR of former child soldiers. It further examines why Western approaches of psychosocial support in the RR of child soldiers have remained in use in spite of the criticisms levelled against them. The study examines other peacebuilding interventions, both official and unofficial, that have been implemented in northern Uganda. In terms of key findings, the study establishes that traditional and indigenous resources are still popular and have been widely used in northern Uganda in the RR of child soldiers. Majority of former child soldiers who were interviewed observed that they found traditional and indigenous resources more helpful than the Western models of psychosocial support. However, it was also established that there is a significant section of former child soldiers who found Western models more relevant in their RR processes. Based on these findings, the study recommends an integrative and holistic model of psychosocial support that blends good elements from both traditional and indigenous resources and Western approaches with greater emphasis on the former.

The prohibition on the use of child soldiers is widely recognized. Still, it is estimated that 60,000 children were abducted and forced to take part in the internal armed conflict between the Lord’s Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda. Thus, this study examines how the formerly abducted children have experienced their return and reintegration. The thesis is based on a minor field study conducted in Gulu and aims at investigating whether the provision of remedies aids or hinders their reintegration. Using theories of recognition and a conceptualization of successful reintegration, I analyze the semi-structured interviews with fourteen former abductees and ten other community members. The findings suggest that the process of return is fraught with many challenges. It is concluded that the absence of symbolic and material reparations is an obstacle to successful reintegration and sustainable peace as the lack of recognition can drive future social conflict in Uganda.

"The research primarily investigated the causes of abduction of women and children in conflict areas in Sudan. In doing this, it addressed the effects of abduction on women and children and considered some solutions to the problems identified. The study is significant because it examines an area hitherto not addressed that is, the abduction of women and children as a result of conflict between Sudanese tribes. It differs from earlier studies, which limit their examination to the abduction of children as soldiers. An additional aim of this research is to raise the awareness of the international community's efforts at stopping the practice of abduction, with a view of ensuring that the Government of Sudan (GOS) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) are educated about the problem. Though the main focus of my research is abduction that arises from clashes among tribes, a portion of it has been dedicated to the issue of abduction of children by the SPLA for the purpose of engaging them as soldiers. Some International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) described the abduction of women and children as slavery, this allegation arose from the fact that the abductees were subjected to forced labour such as cutting trees for fuel and herding cattle under harsh conditions. However, the Sudanese Government and other INGOs such as the Sudan Foundation in United Kingdom have challenged this claim. Sudan, which is the largest country in Africa, is approximately 2,505,810 sg Km. Its large size constitutes the main obstacle that sets back serious efforts in the area of resolving human rights violations. The illiteracy of the poeole, especially in rural areas, plays an important role in the perpetuation of some repugnant traditions and customs that decrease the chances of interaction among the different tribes and groups in some parts of the Sudan. Disputes of socio-economic nature occasionlly arise between tribes in the war zone areas due to scarcity of water and pasture for the people and the animals. These tribal disputes, which lead to the abduction of women and children of one tribe by another, caused the Ministry of Justice in Sudan to issue an order which led to the establishment of the Committee for the Eradication of Abduction of Women and Children (CEAWC). The Committee of which I am a member, is mandated to investigate and trace abducted women and children for the purpose of retrieval." -- Introduction. / Prepared under the supervision of Dr. Sylvia Tamale at the Faculty of Law, Makerere University, Uganda / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa))--University of Pretoria, 2001. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/dissertations.html / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

The use of child soldiers in armed conflicts has been common the world over for a long time now. However, over the last few decades, this practice has become widespread in Africa where armed groups recruit children as part of their war strategy and to help sustain their campaigns. This practice has left thousands of children physically and psychologically bruised with many still suffering from post war effects long after the end of such conflicts. Many negative effects still haunt many of the children who were recruited into the ranks of the government and rebel forces during the decade civil war in Sierra Leone. The civil war in Sierra Leone has been considered to be one of the most gruesome in the history of conflicts in Africa not only because of its high level of brutality but also in the manner in which children were forced into combat and abused both physically and psychologically. It is estimated that between 7000 - 10 000 children below the age of 15 years, some as young as seven were recruited into armed forces or groups during the war. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2011. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / nf2012 / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

Angola is a country that faced 27 years of conflict, from 2002 facing its peaceful moments. The situation with former girls soldiers during this process is not appropriately addressed, and this brings reflection on both human rights and development structure. The unknown social reintegrations done by Christian Child Fund Angola was responsible for solving those problems. Those pioneer solutions resolved the issue during and after the conflicts. Former girls soldiers need to be recognised in the current Law of Former and Disable Combatants. A vector of rights for the public health framework looks at the holistic structure of former girls soldiers and the needs that should follow to reintegrate this group since they are marginalised. The study is based on qualitative research and an abductive approach. Therefore, a vector of rights approach for public health framework was used focusing on the social reintegration programs done by CCF Angola together with other actors. This will reflect on the law of former combatants, which is a direct result of the formal DDR Program. The results show that there are still women, former girls soldiers that were not reintegrated yet and still marginalized in the current social context. The State needs to revise the Law 13/02 favouring former girl ex-combatants since the reintegration process done by CCF/Angola matches the UN International Human Rights Standards for Law Enforcement.

This thesis analyzes the relation between women mediators in peace negotiations and the inclusion of female child soldiers in disarm, demobilize and reintegrate (DDR) processes. Research shows that despite the adoption of UNSCR 1325 and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, there is low participation of women in peace processes. Children, especially girls (Girls Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups (GAAFAG), are often excluded from DDR programs due to not being seen as soldiers. This is not only an obstacle for lasting peace but it is also of importance to include them in the process as they have a human right to rehabilitation and reintegration after an armed conflict under Article 39 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Few studies have analyzed the relationship between women in peace negotiations and the inclusion of girls in the DDR process. The purpose of this thesis is therefore to study the effect women mediators can have on the inclusion or exclusion of children, specifically girls, in DDR programs after an armed conflict. The theory is that women involved in the peace process will broaden the issues of negotiations, bring those issues onto the official implementation agenda and ensure that specific issues are written into the agreement. This thesis suggests that because women have different experiences and priorities, women’s and children’s issues, such as including girls in the DDR process, will more likely be brought onto the implementation if women are involved. By taking the research question, what difference can women mediators make when it comes to the inclusion of GAAFAG in DDR programs? as a point of departure, the study analyses three cases: Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Somalia. Through the Structured Focused Comparison research design, the study asks questions to each case regarding important factors based on the theory; the resources, the mediators, local participation, and formal regulation. The study finds that the DDR process in Colombia both had more women involved and included more children, and girls, in the DDR process. Even though it cannot be fully verified, the results suggest that women involved in peace negotiations can lead to greater inclusion of GAAFAG in DDR processes. While not overlooking the importance of factors such as cultural and historical roots as well as international involvement, as these can affect the outcome as well.

As there seem to be a relationship between child soldiering and increased fighting capacity, there appears to be logical advantages of using child soldiers. However, research suggest that children ought to be inferior soldiers than adults. This pinpoints the need for clarifications regarding what disadvantages are associated with the benefits of using child soldiers. As child soldiering has mainly been investigated out of a perspective of systemic influences, there is a need to better understand the recruitment decision side; why rebel leaders prefer to recruit children. While the quantitative research on civil conflicts has tried to identify what ingredients that make conflict severe, the presence of child soldiers has been suggested to be, perhaps not such an ingredient, but at least an exacerbating one. By conducting a quantitative analysis of data on civil conflicts between 1989 and 2010, this study asks how the use of child soldiers affects the severity of the conflict, in terms of rebel losses. As the hypothesis suggests that rebel groups that are using child soldiers have a higher number of rebel losses, the results of this study indicate that the hypothesis is supported. Based on the results of this study, it can be argued that there are costs associated with the benefits of increased fighting capacity, and that these costs are high, when measured in rebel losses.

The level of brutality and violence against children abducted and forcefully conscripted by the Lord¿s Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda pricked the conscience of humanity. The suffering of the people in northern Uganda was described by Jan Egeland, the former United Nations Under- Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, as ¿the biggest forgotten humanitarian crisis in the world¿. This study is primarily concerned with the plight of child soldiers in northern Uganda and how their effective reintegration and rehabilitation (RR) could lead to successful peacebuilding. The study is premised on the hypothesis that ¿the promotion of the RR of former child soldiers by providing psychosocial support based on traditional and indigenous resources may contribute to conditions of peace and stability in northern Uganda.¿ The main contribution of this research is that it explores the relevance of psychosocial support based on the traditional and indigenous resources to the RR of child soldiers and peacebuilding of war-torn societies. Psychosocial support based on traditional and indigenous resources as an element of peacebuilding has been the neglected element of peacebuilding by the liberal peacebuilding interventions in most war-torn societies. For example, while traditional and indigenous resources in northern Uganda have been instrumental in the RR of former child soldiers, most scholars and policy makers have largely paid attention to the usual official government and United Nations structured top-down interventions that emphasize Western approaches of peacebuilding. More so, the official approaches have tended to marginalize the plight of former child soldiers in the reconstruction and peacebuilding of northern Uganda. Yet, failing to pay sufficient attention to effective RR of child soldiers could undermine the peace dividends already achieved in northern Uganda. The study also analyses the limitations of psychosocial support based on traditional and indigenous resources in the RR of former child soldiers. It further examines why Western approaches of psychosocial support in the RR of child soldiers have remained in use in spite of the criticisms levelled against them. The study examines other peacebuilding interventions, both official and unofficial, that have been implemented in northern Uganda. In terms of key findings, the study establishes that traditional and indigenous resources are still popular and have been widely used in northern Uganda in the RR of child soldiers. Majority of former child soldiers who were interviewed observed that they found traditional and indigenous resources more helpful than the Western models of psychosocial support. However, it was also established that there is a significant section of former child soldiers who found Western models more relevant in their RR processes. Based on these findings, the study recommends an integrative and holistic model of psychosocial support that blends good elements from both traditional and indigenous resources and Western approaches with greater emphasis on the former. / Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE)

Sanctions are becoming an increasingly utilised tool for peacemaking and consequently, it is of importance to analyse its possible consequences. This paper aims to analyse the possible covariation between UN-targeted sanctions and the recruitment of children by rebel groups. The purpose is to answer the research question: How do UN-targeted sanctions impact rebel groups' recruitment of child soldiers? Based on rational choice theory and a consideration of previous literature, it is hypothesised that imposing UN-targeted sanctions against a rebel group increases the likelihood that said rebel group will increase their recruitment of child soldiers. Utilising a qualitative research method, including a structured focused comparison, the rebel groups UNITA and FARC were selected for empirical analysis based on Mill's method of difference. The empirical analysis finds some support for the proposed theoretical argument in the case of UNITA but conflicting evidence regarding FARC indicates that the proposed causal mechanism requires further research.

This study investigates the situation of Rwandan youth ex-combatants in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Specifically, the study examines how and why young people become involved in conflicts as fighters, how the conflict impacts upon them, and how the Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration programs set up by international aid agencies attempted to address the youth's special needs as they relate to reintegration in their home communities. By employing qualitative semi-structured interviews and group discussions with demobilized ex-combatant youth and other stakeholders in northern Rwanda, the study examines how the Western model and assumption of childhood and child soldiering has so far dictated the approaches of international aid agencies in response to the needs of young people in armed conflicts. The study challenges some of the assumptions and argues for a more representative and focussed approach that emphasizes on the socio-cultural context of the ex-combatants. The research shows how and why some youth voluntarily join armed groups. It also highlights the resilience of the youth in the midst of conflict and their ability to rebuild their lives. The findings of the research have some implications for the way the international aid agencies conceptualize and provide assistance to the young people affected by armed conflicts. It challenges the assumption held by the aid agencies regarding the exclusive emphases on victimization and trauma counselling, and refocuses on the need to rebuild the youth's resilience and coping strategies. / Sociology / MA (Sociology)