Gender-based violence can be directed against young girls and females from all cultures and socioeconomic classes—although the poor and dispossessed are more readily targeted. Women and young female children are targeted because they are the most vulnerable and powerless generally—especially in underdeveloped and conflict-ridden countries. In desperate situations of survival, female child soldiers may be forced to barter their sexual services to avoid greater abuse and mutilation or simply to remain alive for another day or week. Indeed the International Rescue Committee and United Nations Human Rights organizations report the use of rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution and “marriage,” and general violence and mutilation as typical weapons employed against female child soldiers worldwide. The use of child soldiers is a clear violation of child rights and a war crime, however they are also a public health threat, as the HIV/AIDS pandemic and STDs are amplified by gender-based violence. High maternal and infant mortality rates and the abandonment of unwanted children also have a heavy long-term impact.
The abuse against girl child soldiers is horrendous; however it also creates unique challenges in both the prosecution of crimes and the reintegrating of girls into their home communities. Disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programs (DDR) have been met with decreased success with girl child soldiers over that of their male counter parts, due to societies preexisting gender inequality, which often leaves them denounced by their families and communities, which often label them; “unclean” or “immoral”. Therefore the stigma can cost the girl any opportunity to earn a living, marry, and may cause her to be banished from her family and community. This rejection can lead to more abuse, forced marriages, recruitment or trafficked into the sex, or re-recruitment by armed groups. Additionally the psychological, cultural, and social barriers are compounded by a significant underfunding of DDR programs. For example in Sierra Leone alone, more than 20,000 former child soldiers were entitled to a DDR package, however only 4.2 percent of girl child soldiers and 2 percent in the DRC received any benefits (Forgotten Casualties of War: Girls in Armed Conflict). Often girl child solders seeking DDR have been only given meager assistance such as a small amount of food, water, plastic sheeting for shelter, a ride home, and possibly a small one-time payment.
What Needs to be Done?
Substantial work is needed to foster the reintegration of girl child soldiers back into their home communities, including: mediation; physiological care; medical care and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, reproductive health, and related physical conditions such as fistula; education and employment; and community education to address socio and cultural gender inequality issues. Additionally many girl child soldiers are often bare the children due to the rapes they encounter while combatants and thus when they return their children are the victims of secondary victims of abuse and ostracized, and even labeled as ‘unwanted’. According to a three part report, War Children of the World, tens of thousands of children have been born due to rape in conflict. Many women may be forced to bear multiple pregnancies. Community education and support programs must be put into place for girls returning from conflict and the communities affected, as well as to place both the needed medical and physiological assistance and resources, as well as support for young mothers and abandoned children.
An important step in the process is to recognize the vital role that gender and gender discrimination has in the process. The image of girl soldiers has emphasized gender-based violence, including rape and sexual captivity, while ignoring the vital fact that in a number of conflicts a significant number, up to half, of girl child soldiers have been active combatants. Other girl child soldiers have been held in noncombat and military-support roles, which as the funding dwindles places them the most unlikely to receive DDR. Another key and vital roll to the DDR process and ending the use of all child soldiers is to actively including children in the process.
The use of girls as child soldiers is equally complex, widespread, as it is long-term to solve. Therefore the response must be an integral part of gender-based violence programs, as well as the de-militarization of societies. To end gender-based violence and the exploitation of girl child soldiers must not only include gender sensitivity and understanding, but also include the sustainable enforcement and prosecution for such crimes. However the biggest battle in the fight for the girl child soldier is that until these conflicts are brought to an end the process of disarmament and demobilization will continue to be hindered.
Part 3
