The Challenges of Reintegrating Former Child Soldiers by Mathew Charles https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l Lessons learned from Mi Historia en-us 2021-08-19 13:43:37 UTC 2021-08-31 03:58:03 UTC hello@padlet.com El día que ví la luz colegioinformatica10 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1693765484 Marly used to love football, and she practised it everyday after school. However, when her boyfriend tried to convinced her to join the FARC and she refused, he love for the football changed. She does not have clear how it affected her, but she is sure that nothing is the same anymore. ]]> 2021-08-24 14:45:51 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1693765484 La anatomía de un asesinato colegioinformatica10 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1693847601 This is the story of a "sicario" that decided to leave voluntarily this style of life. He entered to the armed group because he needed a job and he was afraid that if he rejected the offer made by the Urabeños, he would be killed. Nowadays, he lives a happy life with a new job. However he still feels gulty for all the harm and damage he made to other people. He even considerds he does not deserve the life he has right now.]]> 2021-08-24 15:23:36 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1693847601 The saviours colegioinformatica10 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1693878693 This short story shows the strength of children living between in conflictive areas. It demostrates the capacity and agency of children in order to avoid being recruited and its decision to move to other regions that may provide them a better life. ]]> 2021-08-24 15:37:20 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1693878693 colegioinformatica10 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1693893560 In some cases, children feel alone and isolated from their families when the go through the reintegration process. I would like to know if theough this processess children share their experiences with other peeers that may had passed through similiar situations? Personally, I believe that sharing testimonies and having a safe place to express their feeling before, during and after being part of an armed grupo will help them to have a successfull reintegration process.




]]> 2021-08-24 15:44:17 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1693893560 Moving Away colegioinformatica10 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1693940713 As I could oberve in most of the tesminonies I read, children are moved away form their families, their friends, their villes: from all they know. I consider this can be a challenge for their reintegration process as it can result in another trauma event, when they are sent to a place where they may feel they do not fit, a place unkown, mysterious and without any person they can trust with. Is intersting to analyse how children react to the displacemnet they have to make during their reintegration process, and anaylise if this helps them to overcome their traumas or, contrary, affect them more.]]> 2021-08-24 16:06:59 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1693940713 La nueva vida valentinalopez2001 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694460475 In the end, Ferley explains how even though it was hard leaving the FARC, re joining the civilians, finding a job, etc. He got inspired by a quote, which talks about ow being discipline pays off. Because of that, he became a better person ang improve thanks to his experiences.]]> 2021-08-24 21:52:22 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694460475 Volví a nacer mariafernandaa1221 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694490888 Each stage from child recruitment has a challenge. From what I could abstract from each story is that the bigger challenges are in the life inside and life after. 
Being strained away from their families and beginning a whole new chapter while completely disrupting their childhood, having to change the Way they were raise, their way of thinking, talking and even reacting.
Like the story of a girl who was recruited at 12 years old even when her parents tried to stop it, she wanted to study, she was afraid but instead, she was forced to start using firearms and leave her childhood behind.
 
]]> 2021-08-24 22:26:06 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694490888 Juguetes nuevos mariafernandaa1221 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694491304 Just like the story of Yamilé, a 15-year-old girl who, by order of the guerrillas, had to be recruited since all families that Gad two kids, had to give one over to the guerrillas. 
Within the guerrilla, she and many other girls had to be "used for the first time" by the commander, as if they were brand new toys. After that, everyone else could access them, that made them end up being pregnant and then be forced to have an abortion.
Yamilé is now 29 years old and lives in great pain, she cannot sleep and for reporting what happened to her, she has received multiple threats.
Yamilé lives in fear, Yamilé has not been able to forget.
War has permanently ruines Yamilé's life after suffering continuous traumatic situations.]]> 2021-08-24 22:26:38 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694491304 La prueba mariafernandaa1221 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694492060 At 12 years old Jhon las recruited by the AUC, a feo years later has brother las recruited as well.
One Day him brother had a rough encounter with the administrator of the finca which resulte in him brother shooting him dead. Has brother has able to scape and Join the Army, intead he has punished for what has brother did. 
They tortured him and put him to the test: he had to murder the Woman he loved the most, a 14 year old girl that at the time las the light of has eyes. He has always been afraid of scaping but thid time he did in order to save the love of him life.
He reunited with is brother after years, he now has two beautiful daughters and is at peace.
Jhon is clear proof of post traumatic-growth and how it is possible for ex child soldiers to overcome and start again.]]> 2021-08-24 22:27:26 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694492060 Me perdí en un mundo oscuro mariafernandaa1221 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694492443 Efrén got a murder contract as a hitman at the age of 15. He started making a lot of money from it and he became good at what he did because he enjoyed killing, he felt like he has the king of the world.
He had to learn how to behead and torture, it made him cold. Others had to take drugs in order to kill but he didn't, to him it was easy.
He became lonely and wanted to change but if he did he would've been killed so he had to scape. 
He's now 33 and is somewhat guilty for what he did, he wants to ask for forgiveness to the people he caused harm to. He has a wife and four children and is learning to take care of life and value it.
He feels at peace where he is now but understands he was a bad person and needs to ask for forgiveness one day.]]> 2021-08-24 22:27:52 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694492443 Juguetes nuevos valentinalopez2001 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694548932 Yamile mostly talks about how in the guerrilla, she and other girls were constantly rape by any of their male “colleagues”. She tells us about one of the times she was abused and got pregnant, knowing she would have to abort, even if she didn't want to. Because of the abortion and the sexual violence, Yamile now suffers from severe trauma and can barely sleep. She says that it's hard for her to have a normal live with what has happened to her. ]]> 2021-08-24 23:26:43 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694548932 Crecí solo valentinalopez2001 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694610019 When Jhony escaped the ELN he had to faced various challenges because of is past. First, e tried telling what had happened to the police, but they didn't believe him, so he had to go to other entities which send him away to be safe. He studied, but he has not be able to find any job.]]> 2021-08-25 00:09:36 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1694610019 The Test julishernandez64 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1695018618 John had to choose between kill an inocent girl or try to scape to not be found dead. He imediately decided to run for his life and save the girl, also, he knew that because of his brother he would pay for his mistakes.]]> 2021-08-25 02:38:54 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1695018618 I Grew Up Alone julishernandez64 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1695176997 In this case, the child didnt have the awareness of doing something wrong at the time. Being in a environment were this was normal, and a way to became part of something made it seem for him not as bad as it really was. In this case being part of this at some point didnt represent danger till he was injured and no one was there to take care of him.]]> 2021-08-25 03:37:37 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1695176997 The Anatomy of Murder julishernandez64 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1695204348 Being trained for kill inoccent people could mean a distorssion of the reasons why you do this kind of things, till this trainment is not enough, so everything starts being more real like seeing the faces of the ones ypu killed or dreaming about it, adding the feeling that you dont deserve a second chance]]> 2021-08-25 03:50:00 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1695204348 The Anatomy of Murder julishernandez64 https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1695213848 As i was saying before, there was this anxious peace that comes with the guilt of being part of this kind of war. In this case, he still thinks he doesnt deserve the chance.

]]> 2021-08-25 03:54:13 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1695213848 La Nueva Vida: “At many moments I was close to suicide, and I wanted to return to the armed group because civil life is full of unknown challenges and I felt powerless, besides I didn’t have any skills and I felt the humiliation of everybody else.”Livelihood and education: This person didn’t have the necessary tools to start a civil life, he felt isolated and didn’t have job or education opportunities to start a new life.Stigmatization: He was judged by the rest of the society, and that makes it more difficult to find jobs or to feel welcome in the civil life. sarapenar https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1699433985 2021-08-26 23:53:09 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1699433985 La anatomia de un asesinato: “One day I couldn’t take it anymore, I was having nightmares. I saw the faces of the people I had kill back then”One could think this is related to PTSD since he was experiencing traumatic responses to something that had happened in the past, but still could be CTS since the trauma was still current and that time when he was already demobilized sarapenar https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1699434833 2021-08-26 23:53:38 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1699434833 La anatomia de un asesinato: “Nowadays I have a new life. I have a job and I am happy”Shows that the person was able to overcome his traumatic experience and that was able to start a new and better life sarapenar https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1699435430 2021-08-26 23:54:03 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1699435430 Dibujo juliamsanabria https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1702085254 Recruited when he was 14 and after years of becoming a hitman for the Urabeños, this story shows how hard it is to come to terms with the idea of peace after leaving conflict. He made a lot of money and had a sense of power while working for them, but after the guilt became too much he turned himself in. 

Even after going through all of it and having the opportunity of a new life and with all the damage he caused he doesn´t deserve it.  "Today I have a new life. I have a job and I'm happy. I do think about the people I have killed and the damage I caused."]]> 2021-08-28 17:26:45 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1702085254 I can´t go home juliamsanabria https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1702104141 One of the main challenges this testinomy faces is that after being recruited at 12 years old and surviving a escape from the Guerrilla his life hasn´t been able to be the same. They took him in because they need it a new generation along with his sister and other children. Some of them they died on combat or trying to escape. Now that he is free he can´t be in his hometown anymore because the guerrilla is waiting on him to go back. It makes it more difficult for this kids to move on when even in "freedom" they can´t go on normally with their lifes because the threat of being captured or murdered it´s still there. ]]> 2021-08-28 18:07:39 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1702104141 El negocio de la coca https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1705747264 Within the context of the armed conflict in Colombia, we see how the profitability of coca leaf over other products has attracted the attention of people living in poverty, in the villages (and specifically far from the big cities). This is what happened to Ana Lucía: cocaine production was the way to survive for her, her family and acquaintances. I understand that within this story Ana may have grown up with PTSD, as it worried her to see how in her village acquaintances and workers from the village appeared dead and/or tortured on the roads and how nobody gave it any importance. Just as seeing the threats to her "Nono" and how her father was murdered produced CTS in her, being part of war (and more so for children) is not just about having a gun, it can include many more categories.

]]> 2021-08-31 01:24:40 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1705747264 El día que vi la luz mariaalejandtanavas https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1705922912
As the years go by, it seems that the methods of recruitment of children and adolescents tend to become more "imperceptible" or "dense" - from the perspective of the law - because as we see in this story, making children and adolescents fall in love in schools in different cities, municipalities and departments can be more dangerous. These techniques use older youths to attract minors to the movement, but the crux of the matter is that even if this technique is known, because the youths are warned, access to education and the freedom to fall in love with the person they consider cannot be restricted. This being so, I consider that a protocol hasn't been developed for this type of cases, because everything remains in the "love of youth", but the damage of being used and deceived based on your feelings and how in some way a kind of grooming is created is not taken into account.


]]> 2021-08-31 02:28:09 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1705922912 Una arma no lo hace hombre a uno mariaalejandtanavas https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1706031389 The author of this story talks about the fear he had of being mistreated by the military after escaping from the armed group, which makes me think that the anxiety of peace may be imposed by structural and bureaucratic violence, as in many cases there is a disconnection between the central and the municipal/regional. This leads many young people to decide to remain in the group because the feeling of being separated from society makes them feel more "secure" in what they know, even if it is not what they want. ]]> 2021-08-31 03:05:48 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1706031389 mariaalejandtanavas https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1706060505 I believe that the most important problem we find in the recruitment of children and adolescents is its normalization, because in the context of marginalization, violence and others in which they may be immersed, makes persons reduce the problem to a - "yes, it was his turn because that's how the people work"- or - "it's normal, his father was also in the war". 
We have been so immersed in the war that we are no longer surprised by the atrocities that are committed in it. 

]]> 2021-08-31 03:17:10 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1706060505 La anatomía de un asesinato mariafernandaalvaradocordoba https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1706106710 A boy recruited at the age of 14 to act as a hitman ends up confessing his crimes to the police, as he had nightmares in which he saw the faces of the people he had killed. When he turns himself in to the police, he is accepted into a witness protection program and so begins a new life, with a job and leaving everything to be happy, although he can't Forgive himself, because his past acts , this is why I consider it's CTS, since the trauma hasn't been totally left in the past.]]> 2021-08-31 03:35:50 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1706106710 Una arma no lo hace hombre a uno mariafernandaalvaradocordoba https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1706143283  "I was able to study. I finished my high school. And yes... life has improved for me" it is important to recognize that overcoming trauma takes a long time, but this story proves that it can be done, or that these experiences make you stronger, more resiliant.]]> 2021-08-31 03:51:03 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1706143283 Dressed In Green mariafernandaalvaradocordoba https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1706157490 Here we can see one of the common factors to join an armed group, flee from home problems, violence and poverty. "my friend had a lot of emotional, family and money problems… everything. She always said she wanted to join the guerrilla and she befriended a militiaman. His name was Vladimir. He convinced her that life was better in the ranks. When she was going to leave, she told me we should go together. So I went with her''.]]> 2021-08-31 03:58:03 UTC https://padlet.com/mathewhich/qhyknuchof66u37l/wish/1706157490