Pic from SOS Children's VillagesThe following are excerpts from my Helium article on child soldiers PLUS poetic comments
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Child soldiers play the war games of adults; child soldiers develop in an underground of fear and despair. They live the horror of adult wars. Child soldiers know too much about a fractured fantasy world; a skewed, dystopian world.
Why must a child be dragged into war?
Board games are strictly for adults?
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Approximately 300,000 children fight in about thirty conflicts. 30% of armed forces recruit girls who are often sexually abused.
Are we so lame, so tame, so cold
We need a child' strength, any child's life?
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For 14 years, Liberia was ripped apart by civil war, only ending as recently as 2003. Children were literally wrenched from their homes to fight. Government troops from Cote d'Ivoire recruited ex child soldiers from Liberia for their war.
Is there no shame, no guilt, no blame
For erasing the innocent child?
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In Myanmar (Burma), children are abducted, brutally treated, and then forced into combat. There are more child soldiers here than anywhere else in the world. 50,000 child soldiers work for government and rebel armies. Children as young as seven work as human shields.
What do they know of smiles and fun?
What do they know of smiles and fun?
Can they ever dream of happiness?
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Most volunteer to survive. In Africa especially, children are abandoned by parents too poor to support them. Many are simply useful, obedient, expendable pieces of humanity.
Survival! Is that all there is?
Survival! Is that all there is?
Are these the children of our future?
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16 comments:
...and we call ourselves the highest form of life. It often occurs to me that animals treat their offspring far better than some of our fellow human beings.
Startling, horrific, brave and informative post! I just don't get a skerrick of it either. Thank YOU for telling!
a month or so ago i read an excellent book called A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah, he was a child soldier and now lives in new york and wrote this wonderful book... it doesn't answer any of the questions any of us have... but it is very interesting and well written...
happy easter!!
We feel we have advanced over the centuries, when children at age 12 are no longer required to go to work in factories and other less savory occupations...and yet other countries, cultures, other "worlds" treat their children in this manner. It is heart breaking.
I am ashamed to admit I did not realize this was happening in our world. How selfish of me to live in a cocoon. Thank you for opening my eyes and heart.
I agree with Kieth and I have read about many of these places. It breaks my heart. Excellent post!
It's a downright shame that we've survived this long without learning a soupcon about life.
It is heartbreaking and completely impossible to understand.
On a lighter note, I love your Autumn banner and the Camus quote!
This is sad but true. I enjoyed the way you interfaced fact with poetry. Very eloquent.
I don't mind the serious posts - I guess I was feeling guilty that mine was carefree... but then, we're supposed to enjoy each other's different thoughts on the same prompt. Right? :)
It is the saddest thing. I'm completely against war and the fact that children are being forced to go through something as harsh as war is unbelievable.
=/
So tragic, so much death and destruction as it is, without pulling innocent children into it. I love how you combined the facts with poetic commentary, that was really cool. I especially liked these lines:
'Is there no shame, no guilt, no blame
For erasing the innocent child?'
Great write! Have a good weekend!
Jane
it is a painful thing to know that we could destroy our children so... that movie blood diamonds, finally saw that and it touched upon this very thing... diamonds at what cost.. though there is a man who is providing a place for children to recover and breathe free again.. it was a documentary on saw on tv a few weeks ago in africa i believe it is....
A poem of questions, with excerpts from you makes it really impactful. However, many of us are still only able to write about their plight but not able to truly help them. That's a sad truth for us, and for them too.
What an awesome, and powerful post! Kudos.
What an awesome, and powerful post! Kudos.
What an awesome, and powerful post! Kudos.
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