Child Soldiers In Uganda Essay
INTRODUCTION: THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
This paper purports to discuss the child soldiers forcibly produced and abused by the armed conflict between the National Army and the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda. Despite the fact that horrifying violence perpetrated against children in Africa has gained growing concern, most people assume childhood exploitation is an ‘inevitable tragedy’ inflicted by armed conflicts. Moreover, the children are approached in a holistic manner although each country with an armed conflict suffers unique problems with different contexts. Through a situated analysis of child combatants in Uganda, this paper will demonstrate that the issue of child soldiers is a national, political, and social crisis manifested in a systemic exploitation of childhood. Therefore, it will be argued that action plans should be country-specific and tailored to the unique contexts of Uganda in order to rehabilitate the victimized children effectively.
SUBSECTIONS: First section of the paper will start with depicting the general circumstances of child soldier problems across the world. Even though the paper argues for community-based rehabilitation systems, it is worth understanding the dynamic of the big issues in comparison with the situation in Uganda. In this …show more content…
It will be emphasized that the issue of child combatants should be examined in the context of national, political and social problems faced by the government of Uganda. Cheney’s article, Our Children Have Only Known War: Children’s Experiences and the Uses of Childhood in Northern Uganda, offers critical perspectives on childhood exploitation as state-inspired violence. It will be also discussed that the state’s ability to secure and cater to its people has been undermined while opposing factions, often politically and ethnically aligned, exploit children in an opportunistic
This paper purports to discuss the child soldiers forcibly produced and abused by the armed conflict between the National Army and the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda. Despite the fact that horrifying violence perpetrated against children in Africa has gained growing concern, most people assume childhood exploitation is an ‘inevitable tragedy’ inflicted by armed conflicts. Moreover, the children are approached in a holistic manner although each country with an armed conflict suffers unique problems with different contexts. Through a situated analysis of child combatants in Uganda, this paper will demonstrate that the issue of child soldiers is a national, political, and social crisis manifested in a systemic exploitation of childhood. Therefore, it will be argued that action plans should be country-specific and tailored to the unique contexts of Uganda in order to rehabilitate the victimized children effectively.
SUBSECTIONS: First section of the paper will start with depicting the general circumstances of child soldier problems across the world. Even though the paper argues for community-based rehabilitation systems, it is worth understanding the dynamic of the big issues in comparison with the situation in Uganda. In this …show more content…
It will be emphasized that the issue of child combatants should be examined in the context of national, political and social problems faced by the government of Uganda. Cheney’s article, Our Children Have Only Known War: Children’s Experiences and the Uses of Childhood in Northern Uganda, offers critical perspectives on childhood exploitation as state-inspired violence. It will be also discussed that the state’s ability to secure and cater to its people has been undermined while opposing factions, often politically and ethnically aligned, exploit children in an opportunistic