Sierra leone, in particular, has struck an interest because of the many films and readings that try to depict this story of the civil war. Child soldiers in sierra leone 1488 words bartleby. It was an idiosyncratic war, which started with the foday sankohs revolutionary united front ruf chanting the slogan no more slaves, no more masters, power and wealth to the people and ended with a series of battles for control for sierra leones diamond mines. This lesson addresses the civil war in sierra leone to illustrate the. Shooting became just like drinking a glass of water. Jul 24, 2017 south sudan has the largest number of child soldiers in africa.
Facts about child soldiers in sierra leone borgen project. Ishmael beah was a child soldier during the sierra leonean civil war. Essay about the effects of war on child soldiers in sierra. Beah was 12 years old when the civil war in sierra leone entered his life, in 1993. More than 500,000 children under18 have been recruited into state and nonstate armed groups in over 85 countries worldwide, according to the coalition to stop the use of child soldiers.
Child soldiers edition volume 4, issue 2 spring 2008 human rights education. They feature in films like blood diamond and a new. Child soldiers in sierra leone essay examples 1484 words. Nov 05, 2014 the use of child soldiers in sierra leone tells us that the society that makes use of them has little regard for human rights. Ishmael beahs story tears your heart to pieces and then forces you to put it back together again, because if beah can emerge from such horror with his humanity in tact, its the least you can do. Beah ran away from his village at the age of 12 after it was attacked by rebels, and he became forever separated from his immediate family. Jason cowley on african child soldiers books the guardian. Executive outcomes south african mercenary group hired by the sierra leone government in exchange for services.
In africa, child soldiers have fought or are fighting in angola, liberia, mozambique, rwanda, the sudan, congo and uganda, as well as sierra leone. The estimated 100,000 soldiers under the age of 18 currently fighting in african conflicts have gained notoriety in recent years, notably through movies, such as blood diamond. In the movie blood diamond, the characters choices and actions are limited by outside events such as the diamond trade, the fight for independence, the corruption of the government in sierra leone, the decisions of the united nations, and the complexities of international politics. Aug 10, 2010 over 120,000 people were killed and two million displaced in sierra leones civil war which was marked by brutal atrocities, the use of enslaved child soldiers and widespread use of amputation. Tragically, violence and armed conflict have become commonplace in the lives of many children around the world.
From 1991 to 2002, sierra leone was embroiled in a devastating civil war, fought primarily between the revolutionary united front ruf and sierra leone army sla. Child soldiers in the civil wars in liberia and sierra leone, which began. Rebel group in sierra leone trying to overthrow the existing democratic government in the 1990s. Much has been written lately about african child soldiers. In the book, the author tells of his experiences as a soldier in sierra leones civil war, fought to gain possession of that nations diamond mines.
Founded by foday sankoh and charles taylor, used diamonds to buy guns and get money for their army. Today, about 2,000 are still left serving in the military of sierra leone. Many of the worlds diamonds are mined using practices that exploit workers, children, and communities. Cambridge core african government, politics and policy war and the crisis of youth in sierra leone by krijn peters edited by stephanie kitchen. At any one time, more than 300,000 of these children are actively fighting as soldiers with government. Blood diamonds, child soldiers and cannibalism, 19912002 history of terror venter, al j on. In class, we have viewed two films representing the problems with child soldiers in sierra leone which include films titled blood diamond and ezra. The use of child soldiers in sierra leone tells us that the society that makes use of them has little regard for human rights. Memoirs of a boy soldier 2007 is a memoir written by ishmael beah, an author from sierra leone. He has graced american talk shows and starred in blingd, a vh1 documentary that takes american rappers to the diamond mines of sierra leone. After carrying out investigations in sierra leone, the australian newspaper alleges that beah was 15 and not when he was recruited into the army and that he therefore served only a few months as a child soldier and not two years as he has claimed in the book. Diamonds were smuggled from sierra leone to his country of liberia and those diamond profits were used in exchange for materials and services to support the war.
This book goes more deeply into an understanding of ruf fighters their beliefs and their atrocities than previous studies. Explain to your students that you are beginning a lesson on child soldiers. Feb 14, 1999 in africa, child soldiers have fought or are fighting in angola, liberia, mozambique, rwanda, the sudan, congo and uganda, as well as sierra leone. We were working in sierra leone, alongside some british soldiers, he said. They feature in films like blood diamond and a new novel by dave. He has graced american talk shows and starred in blingd, a vh1 documentary that takes american rappers. Cinema final paper professor rice may 2010 child soldiers in sierra leone this semester, the topic of child soldiers presented a very interesting dilemma that several countries in africa continue to face today. He is currently completing a novel set in his home country of sierra leone. In the book, beah, now a 26yearold living in the united states, describes how he was recruited into the government of sierra leones army at. The child soldier, of sierra leone, who witnessed and committed war atrocities talks about his new book. One of the great merits of denovs book on the civil war in sierra leone is her refusal to either mythologize or demonize that wars child soldiers as she meticulously chronicles their abduction by rebels almost invariably the method of recruitment, their experiences during the war, and their attempts to reintegrate into society after the conflict ended in 2002. We, in the west, are all familiar with the image of an eight or ten year old boy, holding an ak47 too big for him, in a pseudomilitary uniform, his eyes crying for help.
Child soldiers by myriam denov cambridge university press. A million diamond diggers in africa earn less than a dollar a day. Set against the backdrop of the civil war that took place in sierra leone from 1991 to 2001, blood diamond is about south african mercenary danny archers played by leonardo dicaprio promise to help a poor west african fisherman, solomon vandy played by djimon hounsou, find his family. Brutalised, warravaged and druggedup, the child soldiers of sierra leone and sudan have become a shocking symbol of todays violent world. These wars involve inhumane practices such as rape, torture, and. One of its objectives was to drive away much of sierra leone s population from the diamond fields. Military patrimonialism and child soldier clientalism in the.
May 01, 2007 the child soldier, of sierra leone, who witnessed and committed war atrocities talks about his new book. We, in the west, are all familiar with the image of an eight or ten year old boy, holding an ak47 too big for him, in a. Freetown the rebel revolutionary united front ruf of sierra leone is forcing children, including demobilized child soldiers, to join its ranks and engage in combat, human rights watch said. Ishmael beahs a long way gone tells the story of himself, a young teen in the midst of political upheaval, where rebels everywhere are killing many of the innocent civilians of africa. Nearly half of the revolutionary united front ruf, and a quarter of the governmental armed forces consisted of children aged 814 years old. It is a very important contribution to our understanding of sierra leone and its war. The left ear is the western area where freetown is located. Child soldiers were heavily recruited in the sierra leone civil war.
No truth commission in the past has produced such a report. Nov 05, 2017 from 1991 to 2002, sierra leone was embroiled in a devastating civil war, fought primarily between the revolutionary united front ruf and sierra leone army sla. War and the crisis of youth in sierra leone by krijn peters. Blood diamonds and sierra leone flashcards quizlet. South sudan has the largest number of child soldiers in africa. Where the hell were you when we were facing this in afghanistan. Most were used for attacks on villages and on guard duty at diamond fields as well as guarding weapons stockpiles.
Jun 14, 2007 his book rides high on bestseller lists. The sierra leone war from the perspective of an anthropology of religion. Child soldiers edition the advocates for human rights. Leonardo, diamonds and child soldiers part i the globalist. Why beasts of no nation fails to tell the whole story. If the society had a regard for human rights, then they would respect the fact that children are not equipped to deal with the hardships of war. Findings on the worst forms of child labor sierra leone. Exchild soldiers literary bestseller is factually flawed.
May, 2008 set in sierra leone in 1999 in the midst of a civil war, blood diamond draws attention to the responsibility of citizens and businesses in the developed world to ensure that the diamonds they buy have not been used to fund conflicts abroad. Over 120,000 people were killed and two million displaced in sierra leones civil war which was marked by brutal atrocities, the use of enslaved child soldiers and widespread use of amputation. Sierra leone s revolutionary united front myriam denov on. Profits from the diamond mines supported by child soldiers, child laborers, and adult slaves finance armed wars and conflicts. Set against the backdrop of the civil war that took place in sierra leone from 1991 to 2001, blood diamond is about south african mercenary danny archers played by leonardo dicaprio promise to help a poor west african fisherman, solomon vandy. Josh rushing interviews former child soldier ishmael beah. Sierra leones revolutionary united front by myriam s denov. The book is a firsthand account of beahs time as a child soldier during the civil war in sierra leone 1990s. This report is ground breaking in other respects, including the participation of representatives of childrens groups in its content, language and design. One of the great merits of denovs book on the civil war in sierra leone is her refusal to either mythologize or demonize that wars child soldiers as she meticulously chronicles their abduction by rebels almost. And when they heard us deliver our training to the sierra leonean army on how to handle a situation involving child soldiers, one turned to me and said. Ishmael beah was born in 1980 in sierra leone, west africa. Venter is a specialist military writer and has had 50 books published. Sierra leone rebels forcefully recruit child soldiers human.
Sierra leone rebels forcefully recruit child soldiers. Set against the backdrop of the civil war that took place in sierra leone from 1991 to 2001, blood diamond is. Child soldiers in sierra leone refers to the roughly 10,00014,000 children who fought between 1991 and 2002 in the sierra leone civil war. Sierra leone is launching a fiveyear program to combat the recruitment of child soldiers and run child soldier prevention programs in local schools the nationwide drive, the first of its kind. Social studies sierra leone child soldiers dbq kestrels bio. In 2018, sierra leone made a minimal advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. But all that is changed when the heavily armed rebels who are fighting sierra leone s government troops roll into town and slaughter men, women, and children as if they were exterminating rodents. A long way gone hits you hard in the gut with sierra leones unimaginable brutality and then it touches your soul with unexpected acts of kindness. I decided to order this book based on what i had watched from the wellknown film blood diamond. The sierra leone civil war 19912002 was a civil war in sierra leone that began on 23 march 1991 when the revolutionary united front ruf, with support from the special forces of charles taylors national patriotic front of liberia npfl, intervened in sierra leone in an attempt to overthrow the joseph momoh government. Child soldiers in sierra leone essay examples 1484 words cram.
Miners are dying in accidents, child labor is widespread, and corrupt leaders are depriving diamond mining communities of funds badly needed for economic development. Diamond mining in africa child labor conflict diamonds. President bio and vice president jalloh together with officials from ministries, departments, and agencies, donated 3 months of their salaries to eliminate school fees for more than 2 million students in primary and secondary education. This lesson will be part of a larger unit on africa using the civil war in sierra leone to illustrate the problem of children forced to be soldiers and the use of diamonds to finance the. This civil war garnered international attention for its blatant use of child soldiers and for the skyrocketing of. Sierra leone is no place to be young the new york times. Solomons family escapes death but soon after dia is taken away to be trained as a child soldier with the rebels. Through dedicated scholarship and longterm residence in sierra leone, richards conducted interviews with child soldiers, excombatants, youth, diamond traders, ruf members, government forces, village leaders and residents in mining areas and other regions with ruf incursions in sierra leone. Cambridge core comparative politics child soldiers by myriam denov. Freetown the rebel revolutionary united front ruf of sierra leone is forcing children, including demobilized child soldiers, to join its ranks and engage in combat, human rights watch said today. Sierra leones elevenyear guerrilla war that left 200,000 people dead was. Social studies sierra leone child soldiers dbq kestrels. This civil war garnered international attention for its blatant use of child soldiers and for the skyrocketing of child soldiers in sierra leone.
The resulting civil war lasted 11 years, enveloped the country. One of its objectives was to drive away much of sierra leones population from the. Sierra leone blood diamond rebels found guilty of war. Apr 28, 2007 brutalised, warravaged and druggedup, the child soldiers of sierra leone and sudan have become a shocking symbol of todays violent world. Sierra leones revolutionary united front draws its subjects from its eponymous group, her work also manages to transcend its proclaimed borders and address both the local context of the struggle and the universal questions of her subjects recruitment, agency, and rehabilitation. Sierra leone is roughly the size of south carolina and roundish, with two yodalike ears that jut out on either side. Mar 12, 2007 leonardo, diamonds and child soldiers part i. Blood diamonds, child soldiers and cannibalism, 19912002 history of. The rights group has documented abductions of children as recently as early may.
Essay about the effects of war on child soldiers in sierra leone. Sierra leone blood diamond rebels found guilty of war crimes three senior sierra leone rebel leaders notorious for ordering their troops to chop. Sierra leone combats the outrage of child soldiering. Findings on the worst forms of child labor sierra leone u. Truth and reconciliation commission report for the. Feb 25, 2009 sierra leone blood diamond rebels found guilty of war crimes three senior sierra leone rebel leaders notorious for ordering their troops to chop off opponents hands were convicted on wednesday.