Understanding voluntary enrollment of child soldiers: A key to reintegration

Introduction. - The phenomenon of child soldiers constitutes a major challenge in the reconstruction of societies after armed conflicts. Children are often forcefully enrolled to fight in armed groups. However, very few studies focus on the voluntary enrollment of children into armed groups. The aim of this paper is to show that understanding the reasons for voluntary enrollment is necessary for the effectiveness of social reintegration mechanisms. ``Voluntary'' enrollment has a real impact on the un-enrollment and reintegration of child soldiers into society. Method. - During a research mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we had individual and group interviews with child soldiers in three reintegration centers. We were also able to interview educators, families and the community to complete the data. Results. - Some children voluntarily engaged in armed conflict. This voluntary enrollment is motivated in particular by family mistreatment, cruel violence and loyalty issues. The child then seeks a new group to belong to in order to redeploy his subjectivity. Discussion. - Measures for the reintegration of child soldiers should take into account the motivations behind voluntary enrollment. Cultural items (songs, theater, tales, proverbs, etc.) play an important role in supporting these children towards a return to civil and community life. The originality of this reflection is to emphasize the voluntary aspect of enrollment and to consider it as a lever for social reintegration. (C) 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.