GIRL SOLDIERS LIKE NATALIA HAVE SUFFERED A TERRIBLE ORDEAL
By Andrea Marcos
Natalia lived in her small village in the Democratic Republic of Congo with her mother and sisters.
A quiet and naive 12 year old girl saw the rape in addition to the murders of her family.
Out of fear, like many other children, she enlisted in the army of RCD-Goma.
Children like Natalia enlisted "voluntarily", taken from their homes, schools and refugee camps are instructed in the art of war and used in the firing line.
They are forced to witness and commit murder, rapes and abuse of both civilians and soldiers, including the murder of members of their own families. The worst part happens to girls, raped since the first day, they are force into marriages with their aggressors and they become sex slaves.
Over time, they form families with babies caused by violations.
They can't escape because no community accepts them, pregnant women, mothers of children of rebel or sick with AIDS or other disease.
Many families take away the right to learn from their daughters, in an attempt to avoid them being caught in school or on the way to their homes.
Today there are 300,000 child soldiers in the world. Their recruitment starts at the age of 10 and they are used as war machines.
"Children, dear brother, are the best fighters of the century. Have more energy than most people and resist without feeling physical pain"
Lucien, 12, a former child soldier from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"At our age it is more difficult for the rebels, so they use stronger stuff, like drugs or money, to provoke us and force us to go.
I remember the attack on the city of Nyola-Kombouya, in souther Sierra Leone. We were woken up at 1 AM and walk until 7AM. the came a doctor.
He had a small bowl with cold water and every two injections, the needle washed in water. It was always an ampoule with red liquid.
At first I always felt weak and then felt an overwhelming force. I felt capable of anything...
I was angry, hate, wanted to destroy everything. It is impossible to understand, we were put in such a state that we laughed despite all this violence, we found it dfascinating, had no limits"
Moussa, 15, a former child soldier from Sierra Leone.
A quiet and naive 12 year old girl saw the rape in addition to the murders of her family.
Out of fear, like many other children, she enlisted in the army of RCD-Goma.
Children like Natalia enlisted "voluntarily", taken from their homes, schools and refugee camps are instructed in the art of war and used in the firing line.
They are forced to witness and commit murder, rapes and abuse of both civilians and soldiers, including the murder of members of their own families. The worst part happens to girls, raped since the first day, they are force into marriages with their aggressors and they become sex slaves. Over time, they form families with babies caused by violations.
They can't escape because no community accepts them, pregnant women, mothers of children of rebel or sick with AIDS or other disease.
Many families take away the right to learn from their daughters, in an attempt to avoid them being caught in school or on the way to their homes.
Today there are 300,000 child soldiers in the world. Their recruitment starts at the age of 10 and they are used as war machines.
"Children, dear brother, are the best fighters of the century. Have more energy than most people and resist without feeling physical pain" Lucien, 12, a former child soldier from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"At our age it is more difficult for the rebels, so they use stronger stuff, like drugs or money, to provoke us and force us to go.
I remember the attack on the city of Nyola-Kombouya, in souther Sierra Leone. We were woken up at 1 AM and walk until 7AM. the came a doctor.
He had a small bowl with cold water and every two injections, the needle washed in water. It was always an ampoule with red liquid.
At first I always felt weak and then felt an overwhelming force. I felt capable of anything... I was angry, hate, wanted to destroy everything. It is impossible to understand, we were put in such a state that we laughed despite all this violence, we found it dfascinating, had no limits"
Moussa, 15, a former child soldier from Sierra Leone.
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