I know that this has been an issue, but I haven't read anything firsthand until now. here The slideshow is quite scary, as well as the first hand description by the reporter here
Jesus, indeed. The saddest thing is they are considered to be fit only to forget when they are no longer of use. There is no such thing as veteran of child warfare.
We saw the movie Blood Diamond the other day, and I must say it was absolutely heartbreaking seeing the whole process of turning a smart hard-working kid into a mindless killer, and knowing it was a real thing. I have seen the phenomenon mentioned many times and always thought in a kind of detached way that it was a terrible thing, like famine and war and whatever, but that film really brought it home and it hurts... It's a good thing that people can make movies like that and bring a bit more consciousness to people like us, sitting comfortably in nice warm places and make us think a bit more... As the journalist says in the movie : "This is what a million refugees looks like. With a bit of luck it might just make 5 minutes on CNN between the sport and the weather... "
Various charities and international bodies have been working hard to raise awareness of this issue for decades now. Good news for people in the UK, since Red Nose Day is coming up - this is one of the issues that the Comic Relief Foundation attempts to do something about, not in stopping it happening (that's the job of official bodies, not charities), but in helping to take care of and rehabilitate children who have been forced into warfare in this way. If you want to help, a donation to Comic Relief will be a good start. Thanks for bringing up an important issue, Brad.
Another idea would be to do something as a community. Perhaps a sponsored silence or something. Something that joins us as a community and gets cash for those who need it most.
Meaning if we actually want to raise any money I can't join in ? Huh, thanks honey But yeah, why not, if we can work out something that can work internationally...
Kat, i'm sure if it was for a good cause (and we used enough gaffer tape) we could keep you quiet for 24 hours!
You mean for Comic Relief? We could have a Red Nose Day theme for the site, and everything, if it was easy for Mal to do!
Comic relief and red nose day got me thinking... A lot of us enjoy writing, drawing, taking photos, and we all have the net and know other people who do, so why not try to put together a book of "thoughts" and sell it on line, and give the proceeds to Comic Relief ? Sites like Lulu proide the publishing and on-line sales facilities for that kind of thing, and we define how much per book gets donated. If we created a big enough buzz around it via our contacts, it good make them some good money... Although I'm sure some people would pay good money to have me shut up for 24 hours Edit : copied to official thread
