According to the UN, up to 300,000 children are involved in 30 armed conflicts around the world. As you come to terms with its traumas and a new perspective can be found, tells Henriette Hänsch of Terre des Hommes.
A child soldier in Aleppo (archive image)
The aid organization Terre des Hommes was founded in 1967 to help seriously injured children from the Vietnam war. Worldwide and in Germany, the organization supports 400 projects for disadvantaged children and children in Need. Also for children, forcibly recruited and in the war be used.
The list of the countries in which children as fighters are used is long. Most of them are in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In Syria thousands of children as soldiers are being abused the most by the “Islamic state” (IS), but also from the Free Syrian army, Kurdish and Pro-Assad groups. Henritte Hansen oversees projects in Northern Iraq, in support of children and young people to cope after your use of your traumas.
DW: do you work with local organizations that deal with traumatized children and adolescents. Can you describe for us the Situation in Northern Iraq a little closer?
Hansen: In the course of the IS domination involved children and young people actively in hostilities, but also by your family or environment in this Situation involved. They are massively affected, because they are the new Generation of the Caliphate. In Mosul, we have counted 800 boys and girls up to the age of 16 years who have been sentenced to prison. Here, we are talking in part of young children were imprisoned with their parents. In the youth prison of Erbil, we have the Situation that 300 children and young people were imprisoned between the ages of 12 and 16. Now there are only 54. These children often have to return no ability of their own family, when you are released. They appear in Camps for internally displaced persons do not dare to go in their home regions, out of fear of Retaliation.
DW: How is the cooperation with local civil society organisations?
Henritte Hansen works with local organizations in Northern Iraq
The organisations doing the actual work on site. You have additions, because they come themselves from the society and circumstances. Either you have Expertise in the area of dealing with children in armed conflicts or be trained by us. We will help you, for example, to identify trauma in the children and young people and, above all, how you support these children in the specific Situation. It is important for us that you build up confidence, mental experiences, process, and prospects. Only in this way can succeed by breaking the cycle of violence, despair, and Anxiety.
DW: How children and young people to be fighters in Northern Iraq?
Some are trained as fighters, and ideologically indoctrinated. Others are in the logistical support work. You deliver information. We are of the view that all children and young people are always the victims, even if they are not involved in active combat operations and have committed crimes. For us, they are still victims. Children that get forced in there, is their whole social environment in the IS that the possibility does not even have to get out of it.
In Iraq, we have observed the following: the Offensive on Mosul by Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi army, many of these people, adults as well as children and young people, caught. Not all have been convicted or imprisoned. But you have come out of the Situation. When the children come back to the families, we do not know how your life situation is. Maybe you are in an environment that has Affiliation to armed groups. But the sitting in prisons in the Youth, there often a access, and there begins our work.
Over 30 million children and adolescents under 18 years of age are on the run worldwide
DW: what are the challenges these young people faced then, when the battles are over and you are free again?
First of all confidence is lost. It’s a giant inner conflict. To be on the one hand, the feeling of being victims and on the other hand, never wanted to come to this Situation. At the same time, but also the perpetrator and may have killed people. The causes of mental related disorders. This can take a variety of different ways: Complete seclusion, anxiety, depression, trauma, not connecting be able, in social contexts, not sure can move, plagued to be feelings of guilt, images, and Flashbacks. It takes children and young people that any safety and perspective on the future, in the it is of the essence in such situations.
DW: what does that mean? How to be recognized as such?
The work in prisons can take place due to the circumstances, only a very low threshold. It offers, quite simple leisure activities, such as painting or play. The local experts are recognizing trained to traumatized children.
DW: these children a danger?
I would now refrain from saying that the affected children represent a massive danger for your company. In the whole, it is certainly a potential hazard that can exacerbate conflicts in the future, if you have a large number of children and young people who are struggling with major mental health problems. Each individual is on its way, but it is definitely important to catch and to support, in the future, many issues to prevent.
DW: How can the success of a Reintegration?
Reintegration can only work if the children can return to their social environment. If the family and the community are involved in this process. And if there is a perspective to go so ways back to school, training or work. The larger social conditions, such as, for example, the question: does it ever work in this place for these people. The it depends on. In Iraq, we are unfortunately still not to the extent that I could give you a positive example.
To the Person: Henriette Hänsch on the staff of the aid organization Terre des Hommes in the office of displacement and Migration. She oversees projects in the Middle East.
The interview was conducted by Nermin Ismail.