Psycho-social problems of child soldiers: current situation in Kivu (Dem. Rep. Congo)

Problemas psicosociales en niños combatientes: situacion actual en Kivu (Rep. Dem. del Congo)

In my experience at the Exil Centre for Mental He alth (Brussels), the psychological disorders demonstrated by ex-child soldiers outside their original context have led me to work with those involved on the front line, in low or high intensity war zones. The form taken by these disorders depends on what has been experienced; in this case the experiences as a soldier cause particular behavioural problems which can be observed in groups of young people or in the family environment. The traumatism experienced, the disruption of psychological maturation, the destruction of the relationship between the child and his environment, explain the inadequate behaviours observed and deserve special attention, as no-one doubts the importance of youth in Africa, and in the case which concerns me, the Congo. Many local associations try to help these young soldiers now left to their own devices, and they feel unable to do so. Here I explain the poverty which led most of them to enrol in armies, their confusion, their traumatic experiences and their survival strategies after having been left to their own devices, and their present suffering.

It is only possible to create the necessary network in which to work with children and ex-soldiers when there is a situation of peace and only one message, the one that all children are entitled to for a normal psychological development. At the moment young people in these regions hear two messages, the first is of course that of the adults who want a better future for them, and the other is "enrol because you're in danger, if you don't kill you'll be killed", otherwise, like in Liberia, a child soldier who doesn't kill the enemy is a traitor and will be killed.
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