Background

• Born November 23, 1980 in Sierra Leone

• Forced into Sierra Leonean conflict at the age
of 12
• After three bloody years, he was rescued by
UNICEF
• In 1997 he fled Sierra Leone and went to New
York City
Life in the Jungle

• Brutal three years

• Terrible acts

• Drug addictions
 What is a Child Soldier?
• A child soldier is any person
under 18 years of age who
is part of any kind of regular
or irregular armed force or
armed group in any
capacity.
• The definition includes girls
recruited for sexual
purposes and for forced
marriage. It does not,
therefore, only refer to a
child who is carrying or has
carried arms.
 Drugs used by Child Soldiers
• Brown-Brown
• Marijuana
• Speed
• Tranquilizers
• Heroin
Which Countries Use Child Soldiers?

Some of countries that use child soldiers are Burma, Columbia, Sri
Lanka, Rwanda, Liberia, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Cote
d'Ivoire.
 Psychological Effects During War
• Nightmares

• Aggression

• Anti-social behavior

• Substance abuse
Long-term Psychological Effects
• Anti-social behavior
• Substance abuse
• Disabilities from injuries sustained
in war
• Girls dealing with unwanted
pregnancies
• UNICEF wants to raise minimum
enlistment age to 18; US is main
obstacle to this goal
 Rehabilitation Process
• Hard to adjust back to normal life
– Trust
– Withdrawal from drugs
– Family
• “It’s not your fault”
 Life in America
• In the U.S. he lived with his foster mother
Laura Sims
• Attended United Nations International School
• Graduated from Oberlin college in 2004
• Has spoken at the UN
• Met with such leaders as Nelson Mandela and
Bill Clinton
Narrative Style

• Detached

• Dreams/reality

• Concise
 First Liberian Civil War
• 1989-1996
• Samuel Doe
• Charles Taylor- NPFL
• Prince Johnson- INPFL
• Coalition government in 1993
• Charles Taylor elected President
• Killed 200,000 (1/17), displaced 1,000,000
• Child Soldiers, etc
 Second Liberian Civil War

• 1999-2003
• Charles Taylor exiled
• LURD vs. MDL vs. Taylor
• Rebel siege on Monrovia
• U.S Marine, UN Peacekeeping force
• Still recovering
 Conflict in Cote d’Ivoire

• Gbagbo vs. Ouattarra

• Attempted coup while in Italy
• 2002-2004
• Rebel-held north, Government-held south
• Created a unity government
• 2011 (Second Ivorian Civil War)
 Conflict Diamonds

• Mined in a war zone, finance insurgency

• Indistinguishable from other diamonds
• Certificate of origin
• Billions of dollars annually