With the reported downward trend in support to the Repatriation and Resettlement (RR) component of the Disarmament Demobilization Repatriation and Resettlement (DDRR), many Liberians have begun expressing fears about the future of thousands of war affected children, especially former child soldiers. The President of the Liberian Children Parliament, Patience Senkpine, is one of many Liberians who have expressed fear and called for urgent steps. (25-JAN-05)

This article was first published in yesterday?s edition of the Liberian publication the Analyst. It has been edited for republication here. 

In the wake of the rather troubling development, Miss Senkpine appealed to the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL), NGOs and the international community as well as ordinary Liberians to make contributions to the RR program in order to keep it on course in the interest of peace, stability and national development. Their apprehension comes in the wake of a statement made by Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General, Abou Moussa, that the RR component of the DDRR is not getting adequate financial support.

Important to secure the welfare and education of former child soldiers
During one of their UNMIL weekly press briefings, Mr. Moussa indicated that supports were not forthcoming. Senkpine said recently that the RR component of the DDRR exercise was crucial to the well being of former child soldiers. She was in Guinea to participate in a Mano River Union Children Forum. It brought together children from the three Mano River countries. Attributing the involvement of children in the war to poverty and other dehumanizing factors, Miss Senkpine however noted that the “growth and development of any nation depend greatly on the education of its future leaders.” As such, she said the government and people of Liberia must leave no stone unturned in seeking the welfare and education of children, especially former child soldiers.

HRH engaged in work to improve the situation of child soldiers
Due primarily to its engagement in Uganda, where the plight of child soldiers is a major issue, HRH also takes a strong interest in this topic. Last December, HRH?s Project Manager for East Africa Niels Jacob Harbitz spoke at a conference on ?Child Soldiers in Africa? at Harvard University?s Kennedy School of Government outside Boston, USA. The conference brought together experts on the topic, including Angelina Atyam, a leading activist of the Concerned Parents Association, a Uganda based NGO, and herself a mother of an LRA abducted girl; Nicola Dahrendorf, UNICEF?s Chief of Humanitarian Policy and Advocacy; Theresa Stichick Betancourt, Assistant Professor at Boston University?s School of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and a researcher on the impact of being a child soldier; and Tonderai Chikuhwa from the Office of the UN for Children in Armed Conflict.