The Re-integration of Child Soldiers in Nepal: A Feasibility Study

Shea Shelton

10 year civil war from 1996 to 2006 Out of 30K Maoist carders, 4to 9K believed to

be under 18 Maoist felt they were victorious

Abolishing monarchy (2008) was major condition of peace

High expectations

▪ Transforming society

▪ Money

▪ Respected as heroes

Former Child Soldiers (FCS) held by Maoist spent 5 years in containment camps (2005-2010) Rehabilitation programs

offered by UN were physically inaccessible▪ Programs lasted 2007-2011

Shame, no money, stigma ▪ “disqualified” due to their

age to enter into the Nepalese military or to cash offered by government retire

▪ Adults got 600,000 to 800,000 rupees (6-8K USD) & options for vocational training

Former child soldiers (FCS) kept in containment camps did not get the same access to reintegration resources that FCS who did not enter containment camps and went home voluntarily did (assumedly).

This means that there are a significant group of FSC who did not receive these interventions because they were in containment camps for five years.

FCS held in one of the 28 Maoist encampments from 2005-2010

Child soldiers: Former members of combat a group who were under 18 years of age while they were engaged in Nepal’s civil war

Sampling: Proxy informants used (TPO) because this community is difficult to access

Mixed methods which included expert interviews and a Systematic Review of existing research

TPO (works directly with FCS) & CWISH (rehabilitates exploited children)

The Systematic Review research method is commonly used to design evidence-based public health interventions for a population.

▪ Not a lit. review - studies were selected for inclusion based on the research questions and the author performed a critical appraisal of each study

1. What are the determinants of successful reintegration of former child soldiers?

2. How can negative determinants of social reintegration be overcome?

Child & family factors strongest determinants of well-being & reintegration Community factors: Hindu communities & lowest casts were more strongly

impacted Higher socioeconomic status positively correlated with reintegration success Levels of depression, PTSD, and functional impairment varied among FCS – some

high functioning, while others were not. Mental health and psychosocial well-being seem to be associated with exposure

to certain individual experiences: torture, physical abuse in the household, regional conflict mortality & caste/ethnic composition of the community (low caste or ethnic minority)

Virtually no existing programs at this time for FCS (ended in 2011) UNICEF, UNDP, TPO, etc. reached ~ 7,000 children impacted by conflict

It is unknown how many of that 7,000 were FCS (rate of participation of FCS?)

Estimated that 3,000 – 4,000 children were held in 28 containment camps between 2005-2010

FCS who return to school feel humiliation because they are older than other children in their grade.

Qualitative inferences where made using a systematic review method of the literature, thus there is the potential for author bias because articles were incorporated into the research based on a selection process that evaluates their suitability based on the author’s research questions.

Also, this research focuses on the common themes surrounding the reintegration of FCS, meaning that the findings are generalized and may not apply to all individuals or circumstances.

Part II: The Intervention

Goal: Successfully reintegrate of FCS that were held into their families and communities. (Especially target those from camps)

Family & community support key Access to counselors & mental health

professionals Train key authorities – teachers & medical

staff to respond appropriately Job training program enrollment

Activities: Joint picnics, sports & cultural programs, maybe school based initiatives?, training programs, psychological counseling, vocational training (through existing platforms)

Measure impact with questionnaire administered to FCS & 1-2 close family members (parents or guardians or in-laws or spouse) before, throughout, & after intervention. (let’s just say 4 years)

High level of professionalism needed = training = $

FCS & family able & willing to participate Ability to follow-up with FCS & family Receptiveness of teachers & medical staff to

aiding FCS Bias: sampling, reporting, interviewer, human

error, etc.

Questions??