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Fighting to Survive

This report examines the experiences of female former child soldiers in Rwanda, detailing their recruitment, life in the army, challenges faced upon leaving, and current struggles. The study sheds light on the complexities of their backgrounds, the hardships endured, and the policy implications for addressing their unique needs.

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Fighting to Survive

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  1. Fighting to Survive A report on the experiences of female former child soldiers living in Rwanda Heather Baldwin Africanist Doctoral Candidate Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

  2. Road Map • Background • Methodology • Data • Policy Implications

  3. Background • “1st war” 1994 • Genocide and civil war • Did not have as much impact in Kudoda • “2nd war” 1996-2000 • War of the infiltrators • Influenced by Civil War in Zaire • Ex-FAR and Interhamwe trying to take Rwanda back from the RPF began incursions into Northwest Rwanda

  4. Background of Kudoda • Human Rights Violations in Kudoda during the second war • 1997: RPA killed 95 detainees • 1998: RPA implemented “scorched earth” policy • 1998: Large group of returnees disappeared by RPA • 1998: RPA killed over 300 unarmed civilians

  5. Methods • Definition of a Child Soldier • Finding the Girls • Rwanda’s “invisible soldiers” • 7 young women between the ages of 18-29 • Interview process (3 interviews) • Background • Clarification and begin to talk about Trust • Trust

  6. When the Girls Joined the Army • After fleeing Rwanda (4) • While still in Rwanda (2) • Joined the official police force in Rwanda but went into hiding during the 1994 genocide and war (1)

  7. Why the Girls Joined the Army • Death of parents or spouses (6) • Inability to find food or shelter (6) • Fear of being killed (3)

  8. In the Army: Duties • Cooked for the soldiers in the camps (6) • Carried Supplies for Soldiers(1) • Served as bodyguard to Battalion Commander and a Spy (1) • Grew food for the soldiers (1)

  9. In the Army: Living Conditions • Advantages of life in the army • Had food for themselves and their children • Soldiers protected them • Supported herself and her family • Disadvantages to life in the army • Fear of attacks from the RPA • No shelter from the rain • Lack of clean water

  10. In the Army:Relationships with Male Soldiers • Positives • Soldiers provided food and clothing • Soldier husbands provided companionship • Negatives • Soldiers raped some women • Soldiers could kill with little provocation

  11. Why the Girls Stayed in the Army • Time in army • Two or more years (5) • 1 year (1) • 3 months (1) • Solution to problems of finding food and facing “insecurity” from war • Received salary in police • Fear of death if caught planning to escape

  12. Leaving the Army • Escape (5) • Come back through UNHCR as refugees • Captured by RPA (2) • Return to Rwanda through ICRC • No official demobilization process though

  13. Why the Girls Left the Army • Rumors of safety in Rwanda • Not happy with life in army • Living Conditions • Too much work • Fear of soldiers • Fear of battle • Family Obligations

  14. Life Today: Challenges • Lack of housing, land, and livestock (6) • Few ways to earn money (6) • Lack of food (2) • Problems with taking care of their children(5). • Health problems (1) • Loneliness/Isolation (6)

  15. Policy Implications • Current information on child soldiers tends to focus on: • Below 12 • Boys • Abductees • Some current policies that may not be working in Rwanda • Priority to return all children back to school • No separate facilities for young women who are being demobilized • General assumption that children are victims and had no choice

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