(1962-2005)
(2013-present) 50 Years of Civil war |
Total Casualties
1.5 million dead |
Child Soldiers today
19,000 |
Children out of School
70% (2 million) |
In South Sudan, children lose access to education as they join militias or are displaced, with school infrastructure also being destroyed.
Children become soldiers for a variety of reasons. Some are abducted and forced to fight. For others, it is a conscious decision. According to the UN, over 80% of people in South Sudan live below the poverty line. One of the results of this poverty is that some children take up arms and fight, in order to receive a stable salary as well as food and water. However, these that militias are cruel, and those that manage to escape cannot return to school as they are shunned by society for the actions they were forced to commit while in the militia. One former child soldier said that he dropped out of school due to pressure from people who confronted him about his past. Others cannot return to school because of their age and they are academically behind.
Today, internal displacement has resulted in 13,000 children without access to education. 800 schools were destroyed between 2013 and 2015 because of the continued violence (NPR). Those left standing have such poor facilities that they wouldn’t be considered schools elsewhere. |
Children's Perspective
An interview from The Independent with Thomas, abducted at age 11:
“They gave me the fire, they said go and burn those people in that hut, so I went and I lit the grass [roof], then it started burning. They shot dead one boy in front of me because he refused to do the work. I was worried they would do the same thing back to me. All I want to do now is go to school and get a job. I want to help other children escape and start a new life. |
Adult's Perspective
An interview from The Independent with General Santo Dominic Chol of the official government. He says that children seen with guns are likely cattle herders or youths protecting their communities.
“We don’t have child soldiers. Within [our forces] there is a huge department for child protection that works in collaboration with Unicef and other stakeholders during recruitment so that minors are never enlisted… But now there is no more recruitment in the country. We are no longer recruiting anybody.” |