On the International Day against the Use of Children in Armed Conflict, we tell you about Moussa, followed by our child protection staff
Moussa (fictional name) is a so-called former child soldier. He is 17 years old and, as a child, his parents did not have enough money to send him to school. Today he lives in the prefecture of Nana Grébizi, in the Central African Republic, and for a long time, he has carried within him the marks and memories of a past that saw him enrolled in an armed group by his uncle, against his will. After a long journey across the desert, he joined our child protection project and something changed.
His story begins in 2019, when at only 13 years of age, his uncle hosts him for a few months and forces him to practice shooting with a shotgun, with the intention of preparing him to join a branch of an armed group he heads. After a few months with his uncle, Moussa is ready to be enlisted and is included in the armed group, installing him at a commercial crossroads set up as a checkpoint. In order to guarantee a daily income for the armed group, Moussa is forced, under the constant control of his uncle, to extort goods from street traders and threaten passers-by. Away from his parents, rifle in hand, Moussa finds himself looting neighbouring villages and committing all kinds of atrocities under duress, surrounded by violence.
In 2020 his uncle dies in a fight. On receiving the news, Moussa’s father reaches the place where the funeral is being held and finds his son, completely transformed and with a weapon in his hand. Now that he has found him, his father does not want to lose him and does everything to bring him home. After several days of exchanges and negotiations, Moussa and his father manage to hide, escape and return to their village. Moussa finally returns to the warmth of his home, with his parents, but his family lives in extreme poverty and he is forced to work for months to support them.
Moussa joins our child protection programmes
In 2022, he was identified by our staff as a vulnerable child who had been recruited into an armed group and was included in the child protection project that INTERSOS has been running since 2019, thanks to UNICEF support, in the prefectures of Nana Grébizi and Kemo in the Central African Republic. “Life has no meaning lived like this. I didn’t have the chance to go to school and I won’t even have the chance to learn a job”, Moussa told us recalling that time. Once he was integrated into the project, he immediately received psychosocial support and free specialised medical care to regain full physical well-being. After an initial phase of psycho-physical rehabilitation, and to facilitate his socio-economic integration, he was able to choose a training course to learn a trade. He chose sewing, and today he is in his fifth month of training at the end of which he will obtain a certificate as a master sewing craftsman.
On the International Day against the Use of Children in Armed Conflict, Moussa shared with us his mood, his joy at his new life: “I am very happy. Thanks to this project I will finally have a job that will allow me to take care of my parents and build a family of my own! So many things have changed since I started this journey, I am starting to leave my past behind and I know that one day I will be able to have my own sewing workshop and be useful to my community!” And we are sure he will one day become a great designer in the prefecture of Nana Grébizi.
Since 2019, INTERSOS has been working on child protection and psychosocial reintegration of children affected by armed conflict in the prefecture of Kémo and Nana Grébizi, in the Central African Republic, where recurrent violations of human rights, especially of children, are recorded. The crisis in the country has always been characterised by the activity of many armed groups, which has led to large numbers of defenceless children coming under their authority throughout the country. Every child has the right to live free from violence, exploitation and abuse. We strive every day to ensure protection activities that meet the needs of the children we assist.