A Duty to Protect: Child Soldiers in the DRC
Documentary exploring issues related to child soldiers in the DRC through the voices of two girls, and highlighting the importance of the ICC to bring peace and justice to the DRC.
In the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where civil war has taken more than four million lives, children as young as six are routinely recruited by militias and taught to kill. It is estimated that children, most between 8 and 16 years old, make up 60% of combatants in the region.
A Duty to Protect tells the story of Mafille and January, two girls who were recruited into the military at thirteen and ten years of age respectively. Mafille is a demobilized girl soldier whose experience of violence and secual exploitation cause her deep emotional scars. January is a girl soldier whose bravado veils her suffering, and whose characater and perceptions personify the complexity of the conflict and the views of the local population.
This unique video also looks at the effects of the recruitment and use of child soldiers on their families and the broader community, concluding that the people of eastern D.R.C. wish for peace and justice in their region.
Publishing Organization: WITNESSDirector/Producer: WITNESS
Length: 14 min
Language: | English | French |
Year Published: 2005
Countries & Regions: | Africa |Congo, Democratic Republic of |
Type: | Documentaries |
Subject: | Children/Youth | Disarmament/Demobilization | Gender | Intl and Regional Orgs | Rule of Law |