Girls are the greatest casualty of war

Social justice news
May 2005

Abu Ghraib only the “tip of the iceberg” on U.S. torture?
Bishops' official hails move to protect infants who survive abortion
CAFTA deal opposed by Central American farmers
G7 offers no new debt relief
Girls are the greatest casualty of war
The true face of war in the Congo? A child's
U.S. accepts fewer refugees in 2005
Vanguard of UN peacekeeping force arrives in southern Sudan

Girls are the greatest casualty of war
Save the Children UK called on world leaders on April 25 to better protect the large numbers of vulnerable and innocent girls whose lives are destroyed every year by conflict. Launching a new report "Forgotten Casualties of War: Girls in Armed Conflict," the charity uncovered a shocking life on the front-line for over 120,000 girls who were discovered to be working for armed groups around the world.

The report identified a "hidden army" or "generation" of girls, some as young as eight, who are abducted against their will to live life in the army. The roles of the girls vary from being actual soldiers through to serving as porters, cleaners, and cooks. Almost all are forced to serve as sex slaves or "wives."

The findings highlight a worrying global trend and are not unique to one country or continent:

• In Uganda, there are an estimated 6,500 girl soldiers captured in the rebel Lord Resistance Army (33 percent of the total army)

• In the Democratic Republic of Congo, there are thought to be 12,000 girls still associated with armed forces

• In Tsunami-torn Sri Lanka, 21,500 girls are considered to be associated with armed conflict (43 percent of all the children fighting).

Speaking on the report, Mike Aaronson, Director General for Save the Children said:

"When people picture conflict they think of men in bloody combat, but it’s horrifyingly girls who are the hidden face of war. This appalling abuse of girl's rights demands urgent action. Its time to stop the war on children."

The report chastises world donors and leaders for failing to identify and support the girls in these deplorable conditions and assist them to reintegrate back into their communities. Formal rehabilitation programmes set up by the international community are drastically under-funded and inappropriate to girls’ needs.

Sadly girls are frequently made to return home unsupported. Their homecoming is often as depressing as their departure, where they were ostracised by their family and community because of their "immoral" experiences. So they are trapped in a cycle of recrimination—from the armed group if they leave and from the community if they return home.

Mike Aaronson continued, "This report reveals a shocking and inhumane life for thousands of girls around the world who are failed by the international community. But our purpose is to do more than shock. We aim to change the system and ensure there is proper funding to help these girls so they can—with dignity—regain some sense of normal life. 2005 must be a breakthrough year to make child poverty history, but we can not hope to do so without including in that mission resolving the misery war causes many hundreds of thousands of young girls and boys everyday."

Back to page top