Rwanda Genocide: Child Soldiers

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-- lieutenant general Romeo though there is here and near the author of big fight like soldiers -- -- like children.

-- they fight like soldiers there it is big diet like children were talking about for one day.

Tell us about your latest research what it's showing what the steps are to -- into -- to change this situation this time it started with the.

Wanda in the fact that the bulk of the -- were done by youth under the GBP.

Who were.

Recruited into malicious and then conducted a lot with the slaughter.

The great power around the world is a -- thirty conference that going where the children under many under the age fifteen.

Under eighteen who are used as the primary weapon by adults.

To conduct these wars.

And the numbers are and is scalable 250000.

Than any one time.

And because of the proliferation of small arms like -- they can use them they can shoot them until 989 year old source balloon from their families abducted drugged up.

And and used as a primary weapons and this is.

A whole new dimension that started.

New Mozambique -- the eighties that has blossomed.

Around the world.

And in places like real will be use them in the drug wars and of course I don't facilities and that Afghanistan there's all kinds of child soldiers got one in jail right now and in Guantanamo Bay.

A Canadian and -- so if you have a child in jail right now.

Is this how this is going to be curtailed by extreme to prosecute this to -- know I think it's going right against the optional protocol on child rights.

That Canada and US push the world to sign up to.

That said that once you catch children.

Who have been abducted and uses child soldiers used to demobilize them -- to rehabilitate them and reintegrate them not in the punitive.

Juvenile system but in the -- of me recuperated -- the methodology.

And end.

The problem is.

Is that -- that exists the international criminal court exists to fight impunity of the -- that that -- museum.

The UN has got to.

Watch list and all that.

The end jewels are working on your movies -- indication Nolan has been working on how to neutralize the children who are.

I mean how do you neutralize and you're not a thing.

Their children and right now the only rules of engagement exists is do you treat -- like combatants than usual morning.

Well there's gotta be another way of doing that and that's what the researchers trying to do -- of the book is trying to say they.

There's gotta be way than simply killing children who've been abducted to kill.

And what is another way and they say try to capture them but if you're standing face to face that they didn't you know the nine year old who's holding an AK 47 has drugged up annual.

Yeah I feel like we're about what might not feel the only reason he didn't pull that move to trigger.

In London was -- -- chocolate bar in my hand.

And children are totally unpredictable because they've gotten a -- inspires children that's right.

So right now the research what we're doing we're posting mostly in Africa and we are moving into South America is how to make the NGOs work.

An exchange information with the military with the police with the locals in order to find that intelligence means of would not.

Over confrontation.

But through indirect means and also even using nonlethal weapons.

Instead of just it's realistic I -- -- you were face to face with a gun -- your gun barrel up your nose and and is it realistic.

The approach that you're talking about it is realistic in as much as we want to find those new tactics organizations and -- And expect it's gonna take maybe forty years to do it.

We're the weakness of it is is the will of countries to intervene.

In wars -- the primary weapons children.

And that -- has not come to -- -- he had been wanting to find these new methodologies and applying.

We are very concerned look what happened so once we get a moment.

-- -- absolutely we deviate from what we've done absolutely nothing of a substance in trying to make them -- liability to the adults.

I still especially in and then you mentioned and you've met former New York comes from into Kelly she's gonna jump in here -- -- -- -- but I don't understand.

-- -- -- you're talking about possibly creating bureaucracy.

Which don't know when.

Popular vote into -- The skills integrating information as an example of the police the military the -- don't even exchange intelligence information in the field.

Where the kids are how they're being used and who was using them and so how do you think they can actually go and stop.

How do you think -- -- protect the villages from those rebels coming in and stealing them and by the by.

There's a whole bunch of countries.

That are also using mineral military so how do we get that -- well you get at them politically economically.

You get out there might be Americans that you -- in the bill against the use of child soldiers.

And what happens recently William four countries off the hook because you feel you have to give them equipment will Lexus sedan and the -- We have to hold them accountable.

It via Afghanistan.

They're using kids in Liberia right now and -- -- and Libya right now and -- -- to defend themselves.

That we should have been on the go a long time able to protect the innocent.

Instead of letting them start slaughtering each other and in war of attrition that -- those words from various.

I am I would agree with you I -- and I applaud your purpose.

I -- what I see from having tried to do something about some of these issues is the fact that first of all these children you called them the innocent they're really not innocent.

You -- when you grow up in the hard hard area that -- -- some of these areas in Africa and the Middle East are.

You're not innocent after about the age of three.

And because you -- you so much -- -- so many terrible things happening.

The second thing is that arrogance of a lot of the NGOs than than non.

Governmental organizations.

Have an arrogance when they are operating in some of these -- not all of them a lot of room doing there is a good purpose.

But there's an arrogance to a lot of them including the United Nations.

I guess you know where we -- from someone from that perspective from -- absolutely will get you nowhere because they aren't interested in helping you -- only help -- -- -- -- Driving around in a fancy Jeep or something and you get you agree don't you look like you see that person.

Because I mean you got the -- -- -- -- children and more child.

Who are in fact be mobilizing and 40% of these kids are girls.

And and you're being raped and use yes this but the fact that they -- -- that doesn't take away the fact that they're still children.

And internationally.

It's not the fact that -- lived in hard times that that make you more guilty of being used and that is more acceptable.

It's expected in fact that's what we want to change.

Because if we can stop that recruitment we might be able to stop some of those conflicts so at least couples adults were -- generous.

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