Rescuing Child Soldiers with Project: AK-47

WEAR THEIR REALITY. Project: AK-47s dog tags for kid infantryman advocacy from PROJECT: AK-47 upon Vimeo.

I dont even remember how we found Project: AK-47 in a initial place, though we do remember it kept popping up upon my Twitter feed, afterwards in a random Google search, than we saw a post about its newest campaign, Wear Their Reality. Wear Their Reality is a debate in which we can buy a set of dog tags which represents a tags of a single of a 100,000 kid soldiers in Southeast Middle East (where many of their work is focused).

There have been kid soldiers all over a world, though Project: AK-47 is a only good known group operative in a rescue, rehabilitation, as good as reintegration of kid soldiers in Middle East as good as Latin America. The organisation has been operative with young kids at risk in Southeast Middle East since 1994, strictly rising their kid infantryman demobilization strategy in 1998, as good as rising projects in Mexico as good as in a Philippines in 2009.

To date, they have 474 orphans as good as young kids at risk in their care, with some-more than 200 of these young kids being former kid soldiers which they have rescued.

As both an educator as good as tellurian rights supporter, we really longed for to learn some-more about this organization, as good as was means to connect with Analee Ward, Project: AK-47 Advocate Alliance Coordinator.

Abbie: How as good as why did Project: AK-47 start in a initial place?

Analee: The owner was a full-time companion in Thailand for scarcely 15 years. When he found out there were young kids being chosen into armies in Burma (Myanmar), he couldnt nap until he did something about it. He as good as a inland staff he had formed grown relationship with a internal militias as good as offered preparation as good as village projects as an inducement to recover a children.

We launched Project: AK-47 in a U.S. in 2008 not only to raise awareness, though to engage pe! ople in a fight as well.

Abbie: Why is a issue of kid soldiers such a large a single how is this happening?

Analee: Many young kids turn soldiers when they have been orphaned, abandoned or forcibly chosen into a armed forces or a militia. Child soldiers lend towards to be physically small, flexible as good as fast, as good as less visible than adults. They have been simply shabby as good as less expected to plea a goals of their superiors.

These young kids rarely direct a soldiers wage as good as have significantly less need for food (and cannot speak up for themselves when they do need some-more food). When deployed opposite a courteous armed forces which follows international laws opposite a use of kid soldiers, they might cause an romantic as good as reliable quandary for these soldiers, so insurgent groups often use kid soldiers as tellurian shields as good as suicide bombers.

Due to a bad understanding of a goods of war as good as death, kid soldiers lend towards to be naively courageous, even in situations which adult soldiers would consider hopeless. They simply fall victim to manipulation as good as brainwashing, as they havent nonetheless grown their own personal dignified codes or beliefs per wrong or right.

But perhaps a many horrific reason why young kids have been used is since they have been often deliberate to be expendable, as good as to illustrate have been deliberate some-more befitting for dangerous tasks similar to cave clearing, spying as good as death judgment missions.

Feature photo & photo above: Thierry Falise

Abbie: How do we get these young kids released? Where do they go?

Analee: We use preparation as a negotiation tool. We discuss it a military leaders which if we give us a children, we will educate them as good as take caring of them until they have been adul! ts, afte rwards reintegrate them into their communities as contributing members of society. In many cases, a officers see a need for prepared leaders between their people as good as willingly recover a children.

The young kids afterwards stay in safe houses which have been outside of a immediate conflict area, though still inside of their communities. Our inhabitant staff is local, so a young kids grow up as good as learn in their own languages as good as culture.

Abbie: What do we hope to grasp with Wear Their Reality?

Analee: These tags have been replica dog tags, as good as each a single represents a unique kid infantryman who is still in active duty. What happens when they have been chosen into a militias is which they remove their identities as young kids as good as turn nameless, faceless statistics.

We want to get 100,000 people wearing these tags as advocates as good as voices for these children. The complaint is which so most of a universe doesnt know which this is taking place, though when people wear these tags as good as someone asks them about it, its an event to discuss it their stories. It creates it all a some-more real.

Its a discernible sign which this is starting on, as good as we can help finish it.

If we want to help, a biggest thing we can do is widespread a word about these kid soldiers, or contact an classification such as Project: AK-47. If youd similar to to purchase a dog tag, revisit a Project: AK-47 website.

Photos pleasantness of Project:AK-47

Community Connection:

Child trafficking is also a complaint in many of these areas. The Somaly Mam Foundation works bland to get girls out of a sex tourism business.