This paper examines the reintegration experiences of a group of demobilised youth who were associated with various armed groups during the course of ongoing armed conflict in Colombia. In particular, the paper traces how the realities of forced migration and displacement profoundly shape and inform their reintegration experiences. Drawing upon qualitative interviews with a sample of 22 former child soldiers, the authors highlight the key challenges and impacts participants faced as a result of forced migration and displacement, particularly in relation to family, place, and (in) security. Our study indicates that despite these ongoing challenges, and within a context of ongoing war and armed violence, these former child soldiers have been able to lead industrious and productive lives through their commitment to education, employment and peer support.

This article addresses the long term impact of having been a child soldier in Yumbe District, Uganda. Within this district, a group of former child soldiers fell beyond the scope of almost all reintegration initiatives from the time a peace agreement was signed in 2002. Ten years after the youths‘ return from the bush, the authors used a qualitative approach to understand their present situation. It was found that serious grievances were still expressed by the former child soldiers towards organisations that had promised them some form of support, but did not fulfil these promises. The effect of these promises being broken and renewed, repeatedly, over an extended period of time has provoked a sense of helplessness and anger. The authors show how this group of youth try to navigate these emotions within their daily lives. The findings also point to the importance of taking historical, cultural and political contexts into account in order to fully understand the effects of post conflict experiences of ‘former child soldiers’.

In many places around the globe, over many centuries, adults have forcibly involved children in war. In more recent times, these forcibly involved children have come to be collectively referred to as ‘child soldiers’, in an attempt to address the crises that these children experience within war conditions. However, recent field experiences from northern Uganda show that children, formerly abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army, as well as the community they return to, do not consider themselves as soldiers. This paper explains the reasons why the children reject this categorisation and prefer to be regarded as war affected. This paper concludes with the warning that erroneous categorisation of war affected children might influence, and/or undermine, the effectiveness of targeted intervention programmes.

This paper explores protective and risk factors for mental health and psychosocial wellbeing among 300 child solders (verified minors) through a longitudinal study. Both the Hopkins Symptoms Check list and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (civilian version) were used to measure mental health problems, while the Generalised Estimating Equation was used to identify both the protective and risk factors over time. Anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder decreased over a nine month period, while depression prevalence did not change. Social support, inter-caste marriage, low caste and residence in far western geographic regions were all associated with greater mental health problems. Rehabilitation packages were not associated with improved mental health, and former child solders enrolled in vocational programmes had greater posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity. The findings suggest that strong social support is needed, as rehabilitation packages alone may be insufficient to improve mental health.

The changing nature of armed conflict has been characterised by the use of children as soldiers. The disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of these children back into society has become a primary concern for post conflict African countries seeking to achieve a sustainable peace. Studies have emphasised the crucial role of a participatory approach as an important factor in ensuring success in reintegration programmes. However, limited attention has been given to traditional cultural practices, such as ritual and cleansing ceremonies for child soldiers, in addressing psychosocial problems as essential components of reintegration. This paper, therefore, focuses on the crucial role and effectiveness of traditional cultural practices within the reintegration of child soldiers in post conflict Liberia and Burundi. Data are derived from content analysis of studies on the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programmes. The author argues that traditional cultural practices are integral to the success of reintegration of child soldiers in post conflict African states.

The 1994 Rwandan genocide subjected thousands of women to rape, many of whom became pregnant as a result. Although mothers and their children born as a result of those rapes are an at risk population, there is very little research or reported programmes addressing their needs. This paper describes a pilot community group counselling programme for these mothers. Quantitative and qualitative data show the groups to be effective. The results suggest that the groups helped the mothers connect with others in a similar situation. The mothers also report an increase in confidence and positive emotions, and a reduction in shame. They further describe an improved relationship with their children. It is hypothesised that the groups helped to restore the social fabric destroyed by the genocide.

People with psychiatric disorders in humanitarian emergencies are primarily neglected and lack appropriate treatment. This results in unnecessary suffering, stigmatisation, loss of dignity and increased mortality. This paper describes the experience of Mèdecins Sans Frontiéres in providing emergency psychiatric treatment as a component of a busy medical programme in Mweso, a conflict affected region of North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Interventions included treatment with psychotropic medications by non specialist physicians and counselling by lay counsellors. Most patients were treated for psychotic disorders with good results. Our experience shows that generalist medical doctors can be trained to diagnose and treat psychiatric disorders. Introduction of emergency psychiatric care in humanitarian emergencies is needed and feasible, despite multiple competing priorities. Key issues to consider are contingency planning for programme interruptions due to security issues, simplification of protocols and shared care with mental health counsellors.

Psychosocial interventions in many post conflict settings, including Rwanda, have failed to facilitate dialogue between members of conflicting groups while aiming to rebuild the broken social fabric that individuals and communities depend on for sustainable peace and development. Locally initiated programmes that do engage conflicting parties in dialogue are often overlooked, and therefore unable to inform interventions. To begin to fill this gap, this article presents a qualitative study of key factors that facilitated intergroup dialogue and mutual healing between Hutus and Tutsis through the Healing of Life Wounds, a community based mental health programme initiated in Rwanda. Data were collected from 23 participants who attended the programme as part of this investigation and includes pre and post intervention interviews, as well as notes from participant and researcher’s observations. Findings indicate that openness to change, a safe space for sharing, an understanding facilitator and supportive material resources were all factors that encouraged participants to share their personal stories and engage in acts of mutual support. Participants began to integrate positive patterns of relationships within the group, and in their communities. The implications for post conflict rebuilding are also discussed.

In 2012, an integrated review of programmes for young survivors of sexual violence in Liberia was conducted in order to identify promising practice within the context of current prevention and response initiatives. A total of 279 programme related materials were examined as part of a structured document review. In addition, 40 key informant interviews were conducted with representatives from government ministries, United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organisations. The authors found a low number of programme evaluations demonstrating measureable change as a result of particular interventions. Key informants described programmes believed to be effective and identified challenges with the current system, although additional research and evaluation is needed in order to determine the impact of these initiatives. In conclusion, the study highlights the need to strengthen existing programme evaluation efforts in order to examine the impact of current interventions, and ultimately contribute to a reduction in violence.

One inescapable fact of most psychosocial interventions is the requirements of donor organisations, often in the form of project or programme evaluations. A group of psychosocial workers working with formerly displaced people, who are now relocated in resettlement areas, were asked by the donors to show that their approach is effective in removing psychosocial problems. In this field report, it is shown that, in this particular case the job of the psychosocial workers can indeed be described in terms of removing psychosocial problems. This required formulating a conceptual framework that distinguishes categories of psychosocial problems and links each of them to a verifiable indicator showing that a psychosocial problem has been addressed.

Ce papier examine les expériences de réintégration d’un groupe de jeunes démobilisés ayant fait partie de divers groupes armés durant le conflit armé persistant en Colombie. Le papier décrit notamment comment les réalités des migrations et des déplacements forcés modèlent et façonnent leurs expériences de réintégration. En employant des interviews quantitatives avec un échantillon de 22 ex-enfants soldats, les auteurs font ressortir les défi s essentiels auxquels les participants sont confrontés en raison des migrations et déplacements forcés, et particulièrement en rapport avec les familles, les lieux et l’(in)sécurité. En dépit de ces défi s persistants et dans un contexte de guerre et de violences armées qui perdure, notre étude révèle que ces ex-enfants soldats ont été capables de mener des vies industrieuses et productives, grâce à leur motivation pour l’éducation, l’emploi ainsi qu’au soutien de leurs pairs.

В данной статье рассматривается опыт реинтеграции группы демобилизованных детей, которые были частью различных вооруженных групп во время продолжительного военного конфликта в Колумбии. Авторы пытаются проследить, каким образом реалии вынужденной миграции и перемещения формируют и определяют процесс реинтеграции этих детей. Опираясь на данные 22 качественных интервью с бывшими детьми-солдатами, авторы выделяют основные проблемы, с которыми сталкиваются участники в результате вынужденной миграции и перемещения. Рассматривается и воздействие последних на семью детей, место жительства и уровень безопасности. Несмотря на непрекращающиеся трудности, войну и вооруженное насилие, наше исследование показывает, что эти дети смогли вернуться к продуктивной жизни благодаря серьезному отношению к образованию, работе и благодаря поддержке, которую они оказывают друг друга.

Este artículo examina las experiencias de reinserción de un grupo de jóvenes desmovilizados que han sido integrantes de varios grupos armados en el marco y durante el confl icto armado Colombiano. En particular, el documento examina cómo las realidades de la migración y desplazamiento forzado marcan profundamente y defi nen sus experiencias de reintegración. Basándose en entrevistas cualitativas, con una muestra representativa de 22 niños ex soldados, los autores destacan los desafíos clave que enfrentan los participantes como resultado de la migración y desplazamiento forzado así como su impacto particularmente en relación con la familia, el lugar, y la (in) seguridad. A pesar de estos continuos desafíos y dentro de un contexto de guerra y violencia armada, nuestro estudio indica que estos ex niños soldados han sido capaces de llevar una vida industriosa y productiva gracias a su compromiso con la educación, las posibilidades de empleo y el apoyo entre pares.