“Children should not be carrying guns and killing each other. They should be playing, learning, having fun with friends, protected and cherished by the adults around them.” -David Shearer, head of the U.N. mission. It’s a reality that is hard to comprehend, but it is one that does indeed happen- as reported by Jesselyn Cook of the Huffington Post. In 2013, a mere 2 years after gaining its independence from Sudan, South Sudan has been in a civil war. A violent, political conflict between the government and rebel groups, and unfortunately this is not just a fight between the adults. More than 19,000 children were in some way by both sides been forced into combat, and were told to, as one child soldier put it: “The order was to kill anything we found”. Despite repeated promises to end the child recruitment, both sides have failed to follow through, which is why the HRW, UN, and other humanitarian organizations have worked to have these children released, reunited with families, and taken into care. Finally, on Wednesday, some 300 kids were freed as part of a UN-backed program where armed groups work to release some 700 children, 220 of them being girls. It’s only a small fraction of the progress that must be made, but it is the first step in the right direction.
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