Violence and sexual exploitation are two of the biggest issues that these young people discuss as they relate their experiences with living with armed conflict.
Will You Listen, the companion to a United Nations report on the impact of armed conflict on children, is a compilation of the views of over 1,700 children and young people in more than 92 countries. Their thoughts, beliefs, and ideas were collected through focus group discussions and questionnaires and reflect what young people living in humanitarian crises have experienced.
Here’s what the young people living in conflict zones have to say about living with violence and sexual exploitation.
We live in violence
We were mobilized by our clan militia heads to come to the playground. All of us were young people about the same age. They told us to defend our village. We were in the queue with our guns. When the Marehan clan attacked us we defended our village.
- Boys and young men, 14–17, Somalia
People are drunk and fighting. Everything is different than home. My father hits my mother and drunken people destroy light bulbs and buildings.
- Girl, 14, Sri Lanka, internally displaced persons (IDP) transit centre
After I was taken to the front, they give me blood to drink which they said was the first test, and will make me more and more brave.
-Young man, age not specified, Liberia
There are many of us who do not have jobs or anything. Some people in my family still fear me because they still believe I have the ‘bush trick’ in me; we get the evil eye and are discriminated against. There is nowhere to go. This is my home and my country too. I can’t go anywhere if I run to Guinea. I know no one there. I would still have to struggle. At least here I can manage…
– Young man, 22, Sierra Leone
We face rape and exploitation
The attackers tied me up and raped me because I was fighting. About five of them did he same thing to me until one of their commanders who knew my father came and stopped them, but also took me to his house to make me his wife. I just accepted him because of fear and don’t want to say no because he might do the same thing to me too.
– Girl, 14, Liberia
My sister is only 15 years old but every night she goes out to have sex with humanitarian workers and peacekeepers for money. I tried to stop her before but I have given up since I do not have anything to give her. We all rely on the money she gets to support the family.
– Young man, 17, Liberia
As boys under 18 in prison are poor, adult men give them money in exchange for sex.
– Young man, 20, Burundi
We lose our childhoods
I hate nights because they scare me. I ask my mother to let me sleep in her room during the attacks.
– Boy, 10, Occupied Palestinian Territory
While I was playing football with friends, I heard an explosion, I rushed to the place where the explosion happened and I saw Hassan, our 14-year old neighbour who was dead. We collected his scattered body. I could not sleep for nights; I used to dream of people drenched in blood.
– Boy, 13, Somalia
We know you are trying to help us
NGO/UN have been working in our areas, supporting us. They are all leaving too soon, and this is making everything worse.
– Young woman, 18, Sri Lanka
We have a role to play
We could express our concerns and raise voices, but chances are very limited due to cultural barriers. Adults are seen as the key decision makers at all times.
– Age and sex not specified, Somalia
We the children should raise our voices so more people listen to us. Some kids like me have the passion, but we just don’t know how to do it.
– Boy, 14, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
About
I am currently an Editorial Intern in the Media and Communications Branch at United Nations Population Fund, where I work on editing and writing stories. I have experience working at several NGOs (such as the Center for Reproductive Rights and Family Care International), writing/editing as well as fact-checking and translating.
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