A Study On The Reintegration Of Child Soldiers In Post War Liberia(1989-2003)

For fourteen years,Liberia was involved in a bloody civil war,in which the state army,non-state actors made use of children as soldiers in combat operations.The overwhelming involvement of children in the armed struggles was presumed to be a negative trend that seriously undermined their personal productive capacity and the Liberian national security.This study aims at understanding the study on the reintegration of child soldiers in the aftermath of Liberia's civil war(1989-2003).The paper also examined the use of children as soldiers in Liberia and its implications for the security of the country.It further explored the causes of the Liberian civil war,the nexus between the war and child soldiering,the factors that influence child soldiers and weaknesses of Liberian policies in preventing child soldiers.Findings from the study,which utilized data from secondary sources,indicates that the Liberian civil wars were caused by structural violence,perpetrated by indigenous rulers against their citizens for decades.The research also found that the use of child soldiers by warring factions in Liberia denied the kids of their childhood with negative consequences for their future progress and prosperity as adults.The reintegration programs that were put in place for the rehabilitation of children into the communities ended with marginal success due to concert of internal and external factors.Evidence remains of past maltreatment and neglect of Liberia's ex-child soldiers,many of whom are still physically and psychologically traumatized having remained largely uneducated,unemployable and thus,vulnerable to permanent poverty and re-recruitment for armed conflicts elsewhere across the world.The paper concluded that the use of child soldiers in Liberia,just like in other parts of the world will not stop until extreme deprivation facing the children,which leads to their impoverishment,is addressed and until they have better opportunities for their personal and group development aspirations.It is recommended;amongst others,that good governance should be pursued to a logical conclusion in Liberia while the government should continue to address all acts of structural violence against the children in the country.