While the civil war’s official end came in May 2009, the recruitment of child soldiers continues to rise according to Douglas Devanada, Minister for Tamil Social Services. He quotes reliable sources that say that the LTTE (the rebel group of the Tamil Tigers in the north of Sri Lanka) aims to recruit about 60,000 children in the north of the country.

The recruitment and use of child soldiers in the country’s civil war has gone on for years in Sri Lanka. Fewer children are attending school due both to fighting the war and the fear of falling into the hands of the rebel army on the way to school. Some children have limited defenses to resist recruitment efforts. Others faced with poverty, lack of education and few job prospects see little alternative to joining.

Child soldiers are used for various purposes in the civil war that has raged through the country for a little more than 20 years. While some are fighters, others act as scouts and guides and man checkpoints. Others run errands or cook and clean for the armed forces. Some of the most unfortunate are used as suicide bombers. Gender and age offer no protection against recruitment efforts. Some children have been as young as eight years old. And girls can face an even tougher time than their male peers.

Girls are used as soldiers in the same way as boys, but they also face gender-based violence. Reports of sexual exploitation, human trafficking and forced prostitution are all too common. In addition to the typical traumas of war, girls are subjected to unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and social stigma making it difficult, if not impossible, to reintegrate back into their communities.

In the wake of this ongoing trauma, the Salesians continue their work with child soldiers in Sri Lanka. A rehabilitation center in Colombo, which was first opened to assist “at risk” street children and young victims of sexual abuse has in recent years worked with child soldiers providing therapy and job skills training. Subsequently, other Salesian Missions rehabilitation centers have opened throughout the country working to help more and more child soldiers reintegrate back into their communities and move forward with their lives.

In addition, the Salesians operate Mary Help of Christians House in Negombo, Sri Lanka, which is home to 173 girl soldiers. This rehabilitation center is run by Salesian Sisters who realized that these girls had no place to turn. In addition to offering the basics of food, clothing and shelter, the sisters focus on the physical and psychological health of the girls. Their dedication and support has enabled the girls to come a long way in the past few years. Nearly half of them are attending classes between the 6th and 8th grade levels, while several of the older girls are taking professional courses.

Physical wounds heal over time but the emotional and psychological wounds that both male and female child soldiers face can take a lifetime to heal. The emotional support, education and job placement provided by the Salesians plays a large role in helping youth come to terms with their circumstances and preparing them for a brighter future.

Sources

Salesian Missions: In Sri Lanka: Giving Girl Soldiers A Better Life

ANS (Salesian Info Agency): Former child girl soldiers: the work of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians

WatchList: Sri Lanka

IRIN: Fighting for the rights of child soldiers

The post SRI LANKA: Giving Child Soldiers an Escape Route, Helping Girl Soldiers Overcome Trauma first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The Salesians are widely regarded as the largest single provider of technical vocational training in the world. Don Bosco – the founder of the Roman Catholic Religious order – opened the first Salesian vocational training school in Turin, Italy in 1845. Since then, the congregation’s network of vocational training schools has expanded to provide assistance to underserved populations in more than 100 countries on six continents. Salesian Missions in New Rochelle, NY, is the U.S.-based arm of the Salesians, which works to raise funds and develop international programs.

Working with Fordham’s International Political Economy and Development graduate program, the study examines the design and delivery of training programs compared to practices employed at non-Salesian vocational schools—with particular emphasis on student selection, skills taught, job-placement, and post-training support.

“Our partnership with Fordham University allows us to build on the Salesians’ decades of experience providing training services in these countries,” says Jaime Correa-Montalvo of the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs headquartered in New Rochelle, NY.

With support from professors, Fordham students review previous literature and academic research on vocational training and workforce development practices before traveling on summer assignments to the developing world to visit Salesian vocational schools. There, they conduct field-level surveys with school administrators, teachers, and current and former students.

In 2010, students traveled to countries throughout Asia and Africa. Similar fieldwork is planned for 2011 and beyond, with the eventual goal of publication in an academic journal and a “best practices” manual that will be shared with Salesian vocational schools throughout the world.

“By studying, documenting and building awareness of  best practices we hope to assist Salesians in providing assistance to those most in need,” Correa-Montalvo adds.

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PHOTO: Salesian vocational school in the Dominican Republic. Credit: MARTIN DIGGS/SALESIAN MISSIONS

The post GLOBAL: Salesian Missions, Fordham University Study to Identify Best Practices for Vocational Schools first appeared on MissionNewswire.