A Model for Understanding War Experiences, Socialization, Identity and Social Stigma of Child Soldiers

• In Event: 3251 - Children and Youth, Power, and Culture: Relationships to Power in a Vulnerable World

Abstract

Three issues are especially problematic for child soldiers: first, socialization and identity formation of these children; which is dependent on the second issue, the full range of life experiences, including pre-war, war and post-war experiences; and third, social stigma of the former CS during reintegration. The first issue deals with how the unique war and social experiences of CS affect the socialization and identity of such children, when compared to normal children. This issue requires recognition of three key periods in the CS’s life: a) pre-recruitment stage, while they are with their families and in the relatively stable community; b) recruitment and utilization stage, when they join the armed group, are trained for combat and killing, politically indoctrinated, and used as combatants or camp auxiliaries; and c) demobilization and reintegration stage, when CS leave the armed group, attempt to learn normal social skills and move back into society. The third issue entails challenges occurring during reintegration of former Colombian CS into society, specifically societal responses in the form of social stigma towards former CS. Social stigma for former Colombia CS involves systematic loss of status and discrimination based on their being labeled as former CS. I argue that the radical training, indoctrination and combat experiences of the CS by the armed groups significantly affect their socialization and identity, but that some aspects of their pre-war identity survive their war experiences, and some armed group identity characteristics influence their post-war identity.

Author

• Randall Salm, Ripon College