Unifeed

CHAD / CHILD SOLDIERS

For teenager Dowa Samna, working at a garage in the Chadian capital, N'Djamena, is a far cry from a former life in the armed forces. Decades of conflict in Chad has left children vulnerable to recruitment by armed rebel groups and forces. There are an estimated 7,000-10,000 child soldiers in Chad. UNICEF
U100528d
Video Length
00:03:40
Production Date
Asset Language
Geographic Subject
MAMS Id
U100528d
Description

STORY: CHAD / CHILD SOLDIERS
TRT: 3:40
SOURCE: UNICEF / JENSE PRODUCTIONS
RESTRICTIONS: BROADCASTERS CAN USE THE JENSE FOOTAGE ONLY IF THEY USE THE COMPLETE UNICEF PACKAGE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / FRENCH / NATS

DATELINE: 1-13 MARCH 2010, N'DJAMENA, CHAD / FILE

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Shotlist

FILE - JENSE FILE FOOTAGE, 2007, EASTERN CHAD

1. Wide shot, two burnt out vehicles
2. Wide shot, soldier walks past burnt out vehicle
3. Wide shot, soldiers looking at destroyed vehicle

FILE - JENSE FILE FOOTAGE, 2007, N'DJAMENA, Chad

4. Various shots, child soldiers part of a captured rebel group
5. Wide shot, Chadian National Army soldiers in front of a bus
6. Wide shot, child soldiers being loaded onto the bus
7. Med shot, Chadian national army soldier organizing child soldiers on the bus
8. Close up, child soldier holding his head between his hands
9. Med shot, soldiers from the captured rebel group being loaded onto the back of a pickup truck
10. Med shot, Instructor reading from list to a group of former child soldiers at the CTO
11. Wide shot, former child soldiers walking to a CARE vehicle at the CTO
12. Various shots, former child soldiers reading books at the CTO

UNICEF -13 MARCH 2010, N'DJAMENA, CHAD

13. Pan left, Dowa Samna carrying an air filter at the garage where he works
14. Med shot, Dowa Samna putting the air filters back in the vehicle
15. Close up, Dowa's face as he does up the bolts
16. Various shots, Dowa tightening the bolts on the air filter
17. SOUNDBITE (French) Dowa Samna, Former Child soldier:
"During the six months we were tortured on the side of the road, I was hurt
here and here and here and on my arm. I was also hurt and injured on my head."
18. Pan left, Dowa riding his bike into his parents house
19. Med shot, Dowa, his parents and his sister sitting outside their door
20. Wide shot, Dowa's parents and two sisters sitting outside their house
21. Various shots, Souleymane Adoum Izak ironing at the hotel laundry
22. Close up, Souleymane's face
23 .Med shot, Souleymane unloading sheets from a washing machine
24. Close up, sheets in a blue plastic tub
25. Wide shot, Souleymane loading sheets into a washing machine
26. SOUNDBITE (French) Souleymane Adoum Izak, Former Child soldier:
"Because you're young and you're trained and you spend all your time
with rebels, you still feel the need to fight all the time, even though you're
a civilian. You always feel the need to fight with people."
28. Various shots, Souleymane outside his house in N'Djamena putting on his running
shoes. Two of his housemates sit near him.
29. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Marzio Babille UNICEF Representative in Chad:
"There is a proportion of these people who have actually been trained to kill. A
proportion of them actually killed enemies. It's very difficult to overcome the psycho- social aspect
of this trauma and get them back to a normal life that was poor."
30. Various shots, Souleymane playing football in his neighborhood in N'Djamena with friends

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Storyline

Chad has suffered from decades of war. During this time thousands of children have been caught up in the conflict mainly in the eastern region. These children fight on the frontlines whilst others work in non combatant roles such as drivers, cooks and messengers.

Children have been used by both government and rebel forces. Most of them are boys.

Some children are abducted and forced to fight, whilst others join in an attempt to escape poverty or avenge the deaths of family members killed in the conflict.

Since 2007, when an agreement was signed between UNICEF and the Government of Chad, efforts have intensified to get children out of armed groups and back into society.

The National army now vets all recruits. Those identified as being under the age of 18 are immediately demobilized. When rebel groups are captured or sign peace deals with the government all under age soldiers identified enter the UNICEF sponsored rehabilitation process.

They're brought to centers in the capital Ndjamena, run by the NGO, CARE International. Here the youths receive education, psycho-social care and learn new skills to help them reintegrate back into society.

So far more than 800 children have gone through this process.

SOUNDBITE: (French) Dowa Samna, Former child soldier:
"During the 6 months we were tortured on the side of the road here I was hurt and here on my arm I was also hurt and I was also injured on my head."

Dowa is now back with his family. When he joined the army he never told them. One day he just disappeared. It was months before they realized he was still alive and working as a soldier.

19 year old Souleymane now works at a Hotel in N'Djamena. This is a huge change from the seven years he spent fighting with a rebel group in eastern Chad. He says when he first joined, most of the rebels were
aged between 10 and 14.

In 2007, his group negotiated a peace deal with government and he laid down his arms and transferred to a rehabilitation centre.

SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Souleymane Adoum Izak, Former child soldier:
"Because you are young and you are trained and you spend all your time with the rebels you still want to fight all the time even though you are civilian. You need to always fight with people."

Getting used to life without a gun for Souleymane and many others is huge challenge.

SOUNBITE: (English) Dr Marzio Babille, UNICEF Representative in Chad:
"There is a proportion of these children who have actually been trained to kill. A proportion actually killed enemies. It's very difficult to overcome the psycho social aspect of this trauma and get
them back to a normal life that was poor."

Souleymane and others like him now have a new lease of life thanks to the work of UNICEF and its partners.

Originally from Sudan, Souleymane is yet to be reunited with his family but has become part of a local community in N'Djamena. He says he now feels that he has a future.

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