Childhood in the battlefields

Abducted, intimidated, beaten, raped, abused and compelled to kill others under threat of their own death – this is the world of child soldiers who serve both rebel groups and government forces in over 30 armed conflicts worldwide. UNICEF and Amnesty International estimate that 250, 000 to 300,000 children (and may be more); between 15 to 18 years old are forced to become direct participants in bloody wars. Living a life of obscurity, these child soldiers grow up being physically, mentally and emotionally scarred for life.

Instead of attending school like many of us, these children are on the front lines of combat to serve as human mine detectors; their school bags have been replaced with suicide bombs and their little hands carry AK-47s and M-16s instead of notebooks. The only sport of their life is to kill!

Premier organizations like Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International, UNICEF, International Rescue Committee, Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, Save the Children, World Vision and many others have testimonies documented of child soldiers from all parts of the world. The children are abducted from what is left of their homes and forced into a life of war and sexual slavery. Deprived of education, these child soldiers are raised in a world of war and violence knowing only how to use the gun. The children are repeatedly threatened that they would be killed if they ever try to run away. These brutal and dehumanizing tactics used to control the children, make the child’s rehabilitation and reintegration into their own home communities much more difficult, if ever rescued.

There is no dearth of information on the hard realities of life of child soldiers around the world. The Maoist forces in Nepal have been steadily recruiting children despite pressure from Nepali and international human rights groups. Just last year in April, the Chhattisgarh State Police in India arrested two girls, aged 14 and 15 years respectively; who were wearing school uniforms and were armed with old 303 bore rifles. Human Rights groups have also reported on child soldiers being recruited in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Stories from other parts of the world are no different. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is reported to have recruited thousands of child soldiers in Sri Lanka, using intimidation and threats to pressure Tamil families to provide their sons and daughters for military service. HRW in their report ‘Protect the People’ talks of Government-sponsored paramilitary forces known as “Guardians of the Peace” who have committed many killings, rapes, and other crimes over the last four years in Burundi. Burundian officials recruited many children aged 15 and even younger for service in the Guardians and in urban patrols.

Recently, while working on Free the Slaves Freedom awards 2008, I came across a nomination of an activist group from Uganda called the Friends of Orphans (FRO), which works to support the former child soldiers and abductees from the Northern Ugandan conflict. The war in this region is between the rebel Lord Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda. They mostly use children and militiamen to fight the war. I was inspired to know about Ricky Anywar Richard, a former child soldier, who laid the foundation of the organization along with others who had been in similar slavery situations. The Lord’s Resistance Army abducted him at the age of 14 along with his brother. His powerless family members were burned to death while he watched and heard them cry for help. The children were tightly guarded, trained as fighters and he saw abductees being killed brutally if they ever tried running away. He stayed in the bush for about 2 and half years until he took a chance and managed to escape successfully. Living in extremities of struggle, he managed to study and conceived the idea to start an organization while working on his university degree in 1999. Ricky uses his child soldier experiences as motivation to contribute to the empowerment, rehabilitation and reintegration of former child soldiers, abductees, child mothers and orphans. FRO is administered by former child soldiers, orphans and abductees from Pader District, all of who were and continue to be affected by the war in Northern Uganda. It also operates a vocational training centre that provides self-employment oriented vocational training, entrepreneurship and sustainable income generation skills.

Human Rights groups working on the issue are finding ways to reunite and resettle the children with their families and communities, and provide for their psychosocial care and recovery. UNICEF has stressed on girls - especially orphans or unaccompanied girls - being especially vulnerable because they are often sexually exploited, raped or otherwise abused, and forced to be 'wives' by other combatants.

The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict in February 2002 is regarded as a particular landmark in that it specifically prohibits the use of child soldiers. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child contained specific provisions for the protection of children less than 15 years from recruitment into armies. The Optional Protocol - now signed by 115 countries and ratified by 63 - has strengthened the Convention in several ways and raised the ceiling from 15 to 18 years. Human Rights Groups have been urging the UN to "name and shame" offenders in all conflicts on a yearly basis, in order to keep the spotlight on the international agenda and encourage punitive action against those who continue to abuse children in this way.

The hard facts of modern-day slavery hit our face in many ways…child soldiers is one such category. They are recruited from the most vulnerable communities, can be easily manipulated, are cheap to keep, require no maintenance – in other words they are easily ‘disposable’, when not of any use!

(Photo courtesy: International Rescue Committee)

Political past and the official rise of Maoism in Nepal

April 10, 2008 stands as a historic day for Nepal and international political observers worldwide. After a decade long civil war, Nepalese polled in the much awaited elections, foreseen as crucial to Nepal’s imperative peace and democratic future. As of today (Tuesday, April 15, 2008 – 11:05 a.m.), the Maoists are stated to have bagged 102 of the total declared 180 seats. Amidst this anxiety, anticipation and celebrations, present life continues to be an inexhaustible struggle for most people in the Himalayan nation.

The stunning beauty of landscape sits in stark contrast to the actuality of life in this country. Nepal, one of the world’s poorest countries, is still trying hard to recuperate from the civil war, which shook the nation and made it a hotbed for the communist insurgency that pitted Maoist guerrillas against the Nepalese army. Caught in the middle of a never-ending war, emerged thousands of victims’ of fighting and increasing number of missing civilians; terrorized, abducted and killed by forces on either side. In this backdrop of a tattered economy, deeply traumatized Nepalese population awaits a democratic future for Nepal with a hope for a better life someday.

Impeding the development of any progressive, democratic and modernization forces in the country, the institution of monarchy has been seen as one of the prime reasons for the plight of the Nepalese people. Enjoying absolute power, the King has been able to call and dismiss Parliament at will leaving strong marks of feudalistic relations and exploitation of the poor and marginalized.

Nepal suffered from the same economic stagnation that Britain created across the Indian subcontinent during the period of imperial rule. Talking about the historic past of Nepal with India, one can blame India for bullying Nepal after attaining independence in 1947 and pressurizing the feudal Ranas and Congress party to share power, depriving people of free elections. First elections in Nepal were held in 1949 under the rule of King Mahendra, but in 1960 this brief period of democracy was brought to an unexpected end with parties banned and the government overthrown by a royal decree. The royal appointees occupied all the local and national government posts. The new constitution ‘supposedly’ guaranteed democratic rights and elections were held again in 1991. Corruption, patronage and frequent changes of government led to disappointment among the people and ‘people’s war’ began in 1996 when the demands made by the Communist Party Of Nepal (Maoist) stressing on pro-poor policies were rejected by the government.

In June 2001, the scandalous news of King Birendra and eight other members of the Royal Family being shot dead in the Royal Palace hit the headlines around the world. The ‘official’ story was that they were killed by Birendra's brother, Dipendra, who then shot himself. Well, rumors never died that the killing was arranged by the successor, Gyanendra and his actions too never proved the contrary. In 2002, Gyanendra dismissed Prime Minister Deuba and took power.

The unstable political situation in Nepal has had sweeping consequences that affect the economy, the tourist industry and daily life of a majority of Nepalese. The just happened elections are being seen as a sign of relief by the bulk of the population while a few others still strongly want the monarchy to continue. The final and official results are yet to be announced but the Maoists celebrations have already taken to the streets.

Let us wait and watch if the new rule in Himalayan nation would keep up its commitment to democracy!

Be a leader - make a difference!

All of us have our role models, people whom we admire and people who influence us with their actions, ideals and achievements. When such individuals inspire us, we consciously and subconsciously absorb the qualities we respect.

A right opportunity at the right time provides the base for developing leadership attributes. When we take up a new job or task, we "believably" anticipate what can and can't be achieved. As we set in, we explore avenues to excel and hence are encouraged to match that desire with increased commitment. As a leader, one is expected to be outstanding and perform beyond their perceived limitations. Interestingly, far from the limelight of busy world, there are many individuals, who in their own small way are making a big difference in many lives. These are the leaders acknowledged probably only in their own small communities/ in their own families but they are the real leaders.

Throughout my student life and also in my career so far, I have been blessed with the opportunity of being in the presence of some exceptional people, who according to me are also successful leaders. The group includes some of my teachers, my friends, my professors, my work supervisors, my colleagues and people I was serving. These are the people who have inspired me in both big and small ways to do the right thing the right way. But I saw the real leader in me rising to prominence when I started to work with victims of exploitation. Once taken out of a situation of abuse, they looked at me with faith and admiration – as someone who gave them a new life…they stared at me with hopeful eyes. And that has been the real test of me as a leader. As their leader I always feared being unsuccessful at fulfilling their hopes, in protecting them when they needed protection, in guiding them in the right direction, in bringing them happiness and love; and in being a friend!

Being one of the fortunate ones, I also got access to resources and opportunities and am happy that I could make good use of it all. With my work experience so far, I have learnt to use analytical skills and my judgmental instincts appropriately to take a positive decision. Seeing myself lead, I had to learn to take decisions as being creative.

Atlas Corps took off as a ground breaking initiative which defined mid career development professionals like me as one of the growing leaders from my part of the world and provided me with an opportunity to connect to the global world to work on global problems. Being with an organization like Free the Slaves gave me an opportunity to view slavery around the world and understand international efforts in combating the same. Most importantly it has encouraged me to act as a leader and contribute with my existing knowledge. Just last week, I got the wonderful opportunity to do a presentation for the master’s students from SIT Graduate Institute (founded over 40 years ago as a training center for early Peace Corps volunteers, the Institute prepares students from more than 30 countries to become informed and effective leaders, professionals, and global citizens.) Talking about slavery as a critical issue, I spoke about FTS strategies and the role of NGO’s, governments, corporates and individuals in tacking the crime with the aim of transferring academic learning into real-world practice in the service of social change. Standing there and addressing a big class where I probably looked the youngest was jittery but a great experience.

The experience that I take back from here would certainly assist me both professionally and personally as I take my work, vision and mission forward. I have learnt about the quintessential qualities of being consistent at work; promote effective communication; encourage and support co- workers; encourage responsibility and most importantly to facilitate leadership by personal example.

Peter Drucker - Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things!

Beauty and the Beast!

White and pink, setting an impression of candy floss and dispersing the sweet scent of spring in the breeze – I am still wondering at the beauty of cherry blossomed trees!

It's the sunny days I enjoy the most in spring...the sun shines bright spreading warmth and the gentle wind blows with silent grace. Thousands of Cherry blossoms, running in a line all around the Tidal basin is one of the most picturesque sights I have come across till date. It is nature in one of its most perfect forms.

Walking around the Tidal Basin for hours, I smiled looking at the unmatched beauty and calmness of cherry blossoms – which are here to stay only for a few days and people would have to wait for an entire year to see them, when they blossom again next spring. (hmmm…I wouldn't be in DC to enjoy this beauty next year).

I am also in the midst of one of the most exciting and most expensive political year for United States. While Bush is busy pushing for interesting changes in the NATO alliance; back home, Obama and Hillary are trying hard to be the Democratic favorite of the nation. Bush’ regime, for all right reasons, has been the most talked about in U.S., and around the world. In year 2003, US led the invasion of Iraq, calling Saddam Hussein’s actions as an immediate and intolerable threat to world peace. Five years and still on – the Iraq war has left thousands dead on both sides and a significant percentage of Iraqis who lost their homes continue to live life as refugees. Criticism continues in U.S. for spending millions of dollars in fighting the war, for death of many American military men and for the economic recession that country is going through at the moment.

An interesting highlight has been President Bush’ declaration of a zero-tolerance policy regarding human trafficking, and ironic human rights violation that continued in Iraq in the form of contract sponsored trafficking. Some private businesses, under contract to the Defense Department, were found engaging in human trafficking. It was revealed that those trapped and trafficked met a grim fate: on their way to the US bases, they were kidnapped and later executed by Iraqi insurgents. These men had paid the equivalent of a year's salary to "job brokers" working on a sub-contract from KBR (Kellogg, Brown & Root) so they could be taken. Most of them thought that they would be given work in Jordan but once in Jordan their identification documents were confiscated and they were told that they would be sent to Iraq since there were no jobs available in Jordan. These men had no choice but to stay. Free the Slaves in response to the contractor-sponsored trafficking in Iraq launched the 'WarSlavery' campaign in 2006. The issue was raised to move public action to insist on accountability regarding usage of American tax money, which was being paid to these contractors for businesses in Iraq. It was demanded that such contracts be terminated, victims be freed and compensation and assistance be issued for rebuilding their lives.

With this and more, Bush’ administration now has reached it’s probable last phase. Whosoever comes to power after him perhaps already knows that the legacy would not be so much of a pleasure to take over!

In this political world, there are no ‘friends’ for life. What continues to thrive is worldwide love-hate relationship where every nation is living in constant fear of the other. Even premier international bodies like the UN condemn but fail to act in some most critical situations.

Life continues in Iraq, in midst of a shattered economy. People continue to live with a hope for a better future for Iraq and a better life for their kids. Whatever happens…whenever peace may arrive, the scars may fade but the pain will remain forever. This pain of war is immeasurable!