Introduction to the Problem
The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the postcolonial African countries facing severe crisis. The country has experienced the world’s deadliest conflicts since the Second World War (McMullen et al. 1231). Congo faced the First Congo War in 1986-1987 and the Second Congo War in 1998 (Fisher 25). Though the official end of the second war was proclaimed more than ten years ago, the activity of military groups in the country is still high. One of the most devastating features of the conflicts in Congo is the practice of recruiting child soldiers, aged from eight years. Though the majority of child soldiers were demobilized after the official end of the war, numerous children are still recruited by military groups and put under nonhuman conditions, including violence, abuse, and experience of drug usage. The process of demobilization of child soldiers is complicated, as many children do not find support in the society and have severe psychological problems and drug addictions.
Analytic Discussion of the Significance of the Problem
The problem of child soldiers in Congo is urgent and finding an effective solution is necessary for ensuring the healthy environment for the population of the country. Analysis of the significance of the problem should include determining the current state and the scope of the problem and its consequences.
Currently, thousands of children in Congo remain the members of military groups. Except being recruited on their will, the children are often abducted and forced to serve as combatants. The terrific experience gained by children while being in military groups puts a huge threat to their psychological and physical well-being and serves as an example of the severe violation of children’s rights. While the boys are taught to be aggressive and violent, the girls are sexually abused and humiliated. The children are largely supplied with drugs and forced to become seriously addicted to certain substances to let the military groups easily manipulate and control them. Killing and abusing become the accepted ways of behavior for such children and cause irreversible changes in their worldview and life perception.
The consequences of the discussed situation include risks of children’s deaths and severe physical injuries caused by participation in military groups. While physical injuries can be treated to some extent, the severe psychological traumas experienced by child soldiers are difficult to be fixed and need continuous long-term treatment that is hardly available in Congo. The militarization of children and youth leads to irreversible changes in their values and priorities and contributes to the prevalence of aggression in the society. The future of the society consisting of former child soldiers is at serious risk of being unable to recover from the post-war crisis and build a strong and healthy community.
The Purpose of the Study
The purpose of my study is to investigate the problem of child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and define the specifics of this phenomenon. My aim is to discover the social identity of child soldiers in Congo and define the role of this factor in the process of militarization of children. Conducting investigation of existing literature about this issue and analyzing the collected information will help me to discover the social aspect or recruitment of child soldiers in Congo and understand the causes and consequences of the discussed topic.
Questions and Key Concepts
The main question that should be answered in this study is what the social background of child soldiers in Congo is and what role the social identity plays in their militarization. Another question is whether child soldiers in Congo are mostly the victims of abduction or conscious participants of military groups. The key concepts include child militarization, social identity, social background, voluntary and enforced enlistment to the army, and social acceptance.
Literature Review
An Overview of the Arguments
One of the main arguments present in literary sources investigating the topic of child soldiers in Congo is related to determining whether most of these children are forced to become the members of military groups or make this choice independently. Most Western people regard child soldiers as the victims of adults’ aggression and consider brutal compulsion the main reason of militarization of children in Congo. However, numerous sociologists and other researchers conducting corresponding studies aimed at revealing the real causes and background of the discussed issue, oppose this view. Most studies show that though enforcement to participate in military organization and abduction of children is rather common in the country, a significant part of child soldiers come to these organizations on the voluntary basis after making a choice that seems to them the most appropriate in the current situation in Congo. This notion explains the specifics of the social identity of child soldiers in the country, as the inclination to regard joining military groups as a good chance to become a respectful and influential member of community explains the social origins of the phenomenon. The absence of social stability and protection of the citizens plays a significant role in encouraging children eager to attain significant social identity to take actions that put a serious risk to their health and life.
Another argument largely covered in literary sources is related to the possibility of overcoming the negative consequences of experience gained by child soldiers while serving in military groups and changing their social identity. Many studies investigate the consequences of such experience, try to define the severity of psychological traumas, and attempt to suggest the level of effectiveness of methods used to deal with the implications of child militarization. The literary sources exploring the extent of serious consequences of being a child soldier help to define the direction of activities of the government of Congo and international humanitarian organizations towards changing the social identity of former child soldiers. The analysis of the efficacy of methods that are currently used to treat the demobilized child soldiers is also common in literary sources and is helpful in suggesting further actions and understanding social factors influencing the success of rehabilitation processes.
Analysis of Current Literature
The extensive amount of literature discovers the specifics of the phenomenon of child militarization in Congo and worldwide. Both books and journal peer-reviewed articles present valuable information about child soldiers in Congo and causes and consequences of children’s participation in military groups. Several main arguments and key concepts related to the issue are illustrated by literary sources
The social identity of child soldiers in Congo is the subject of the investigation of several studies and the topic of discussion of many books. Most studies attempt to reveal that though there are numerous abductions of children aimed at turning them into soldiers, there is also a big percent of those boys that make the decision on entering military groups independently. This fact explains the social background of most child soldiers. The concept of enforced enlistment to military groups is mostly debunked by different studies. The concept of free-will participation in the army is supported by most studies, as lack of economic stability and stable sources of income are described by most researchers as the main social stimulus for participation in military organizations. Trenholm et al. conducted a study aimed at exploring the process of constructing soldiers from boys in Congo (203). The results of the study demonstrate that poverty is one of the most influential social factors encouraging children to enlist in official and unofficial armies (Trenholm et al. 211).
The researchers present many quotations of former child soldiers revealing that serving in the army is considered one of the most stable sources of income (Trenholm et al. 211). Social rejection faced by many children left without family is also identified as a powerful factor stimulating the interest in participating in military groups (Trenholm et al. 211). The findings of the study conducted by Gretry also support the notion that forced enlistment is not the most common way a child soldier joins the army in the Democratic Republic of Congo (588).
The researcher found out that such social background factors as poverty, lack of protection, and wide-spread belief that soldiers are noble members of society are most common causes of children’s desire to become soldiers (Gretry 588). Gaining military protection against other rebel groups, being proud to wear a military uniform, and gaining the opportunity to leave the village and go to the capital or another major town are common goals of child soldiers (Gretry 588). Wessells explores the specifics of the social identity of child soldiers and emphasizes that it is largely shaped by group identity of military organizations including the use of flags, song, and memorials (52). The author emphasizes that these means help the groups to establish the social identity of child soldiers and teach them to sacrifice for the group and be noble of being a part of it (Wessels 52).
Certain studies explore the ways of overcoming consequences of children’s participation in military groups and help to discover possible ways of adjusting child soldiers’ social identity to the conditions of normal life. Johannessen and Holgersen conducted a study that revealed that former child soldiers tend to experience problems with social identity related to acting as if still in the army, addiction, social rejection, and reintegration needs (55). The researchers suggest that appropriate treatment is needed to integrate such children in families and ensure further development of their social acceptance. McMullen et al. studied the effectiveness of certain methods of treatment and identified the efficacy of group trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy with demobilized children in Congo (1231). Fisher presents an extensive analysis of the specifics of social reconstruction needed for overcoming the consequences of child militarization “in the aftermath of mass atrocity” (2). Though some studies and books aim to investigate the possible methods normalizing social identity of former child soldiers, there is still a gap in research related to lack of evidence on the effectiveness of different methods of treatment. Therefore, my research on the social identity of child soldiers in Congo, its role in their participation in military groups, and potential ways of dealing with this problem will help to decrease the deficiency of appropriate information.
Works Cited
Fisher, Kirsten. Transitional Justice for Child Soldiers: Accountability and Social Reconstruction in Post-Conflict Contexts, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Print.
Gretry, Lucille. “Child Soldiers: Our Representation Challenged by Their Reality.” International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy 31.9/10 (2011): 583-593. Print.
Johannessen, Steinar, and Helge Holgersen. “Former Child Soldiers’ Problems and Needs: Congolese Experiences.” Qualitative Health Research 24.1 (2014): 55-66. Print.
McMullen, John, Paul O’Callaghan, Ciaran Shannon, Alastair Black, and John Eakin. “Group Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy with Former Child Soldiers and Other War-Affected Boys in the DR Congo: A Randomised Controlled Trial.” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 54.11 (2013): 1231-1241. Print
Trenholm, Jill, Pia Olsson, Martha Blomqvist, and Beth Maina Ahlberg. “Constructing Soldiers from Boys in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.” Men and Masculinities 16.2 (2012): 203-227. Print.
Wessells, Michael. Child Soldiers: From Violence to Protection, Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2006. Print.