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Child Peacemakers Lynn Holland, Digital Freedom Network
When we think of great peacemakers we often think of the courage, wisdom and experience that maturity brings. We picture the great sages of our time – Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Rigoberta Menchu. Children on the other hand, are more often thought of as the victims of violent conflict around the world; we seldom think of them as peacemakers. Sara Cameron’s Out of War: True Stories from the Front Lines of the Children’s Movement for Peace in Colombia, challenges us to see children as more than just victims. Out of War gives us a close look at the lives of several Colombian children who, despite being victimized by violence, are acting decisively and effectively on behalf of peace.
In the midst of that country’s forty-year war, these children mediate conflict, conduct workshops for children and parents, organize games, plays, arts and crafts, marches for peace and even national referenda calling for peace. For these extraordinary efforts they have been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Each of the nine children featured in Out of War begins his or her own story with a tale of violence and personal loss. The book opens with that of teenager, Juan Elias, whose father, a dentist, had been assassinated along with a cousin in his own office. Then there is Farlis, a poor farm girl, who protested when both her cousin and boyfriend, finding themselves out of work, joined armed groups. There is the story of Beto, a skinny, talkative twelve-year-old, himself the victim of domestic abuse, who drew a gang member into the movement by convincing her to teach dancing to younger children. Still others tell of being surrounded by gangs and armed groups who ruthlessly compete to rule the streets, schools and marketplaces. All have lost loved ones to violence, kidnapping, and the family disintegration that accompanies poverty.
Yet Cameron’s rendering of these stories is both eloquent and uplifting. From out of each dark past, there is an awakening, a realization that living in vengeance, fear or despair is not the answer. Instead each child consciously refuses a life of retaliation and chooses instead to work for peace. In doing so, they become members of the Children’s Movement for Peace which includes anyone under eighteen working in some way toward that goal.
For these young activists, participation in the movement began in their own neighborhoods. Seeking to avoid gang and other street activity they chose instead to spend their free time at youth recreational facilities and meeting places. These facilities are typically provided by the Catholic Church, World Vision, the Red Cross, Colombia Scouts, or the YMCA, all of whom are committed to helping children stay off the streets and out of trouble. Through meetings, workshops, games, theatre and art, they became more aware of their own victimization and the role that the war plays in their lives. They began to see that they were not alone, that their experience was shared by other Colombian children. They came to understand the compelling need for peace throughout their country.
From there, they chose to help other, often younger, children through the same workshops, theatre productions, dances, games and sports. Some have established “territories of peace” on playgrounds and parks where children might work out their conflicts without violence. Some have helped in the “Return to Happiness” program specially designed to help young children work through trauma through art and role play. Some children even assist adult victims of domestic abuse by passing out information and work with parents who abuse their children. Says Mayerly, “Many of the parents have sadness in their faces. They talk aggressively to their children, calling them Chino hijuemadre – damn kid! – but during the workshops they sometimes begin to change. Some of them think they have to beat their children to make them behave, but then they realize that beating can also drive children away and onto the streets.”
Child leaders also attend conferences organized by UNICEF where children alone are the decision makers. Some speak publicly referring to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the inherent right of all children to live in peace and safety. “I used to think that in order to survive, you had to have a weapon in your hands,” says teen leader Wilfrido. “Now I know that what we really need are positive ideas. If you think positively about yourself and others then you can make a good life, and build a good community.”
On a national level, the movement has facilitated two national referenda on the issue of peace. The first, specifically a “Children’s Mandate,” was held October 25, 1996 with the backing of UNICEF and the Colombian peace network, Redepaz. The referendum gave all Colombian children the opportunity to choose from the rights stated in the UN Convention on Children’s Rights, those most important to them. While the organizers hoped for 500,000 participants, nearly three million children turned out that day to express their top choices – the rights to life and peace. Impressively, the army and all armed groups complied with the children’s letter request to each, that peace prevail on referendum day.
The Citizen’s Mandate followed one year later, giving adult citizens their own chance to vote for peace. Once again, the result was overwhelming support – 90% of those voting – for “Peace, Life and Liberty.” Further, as a result of pressure from the Children’s Peace Movement, the government agreed that it would no longer recruit those under eighteen for the army. The Movement still awaits the same agreement from the armed groups.
Their experiences with war have made these children “old souls,” says Sara Cameron. When first sent by UNICEF to report on the movement on behalf of its nomination for the Peace Prize, she had been skeptical. This was her first piece about children and, given the quagmire that is the Colombian war, she had serious doubts about what they could accomplish. One hundred and fifty interviews later she had been transformed both by the solemn insights of these children and their persistent belief that peace could some day be won.
During the interviews, she also realized that the children were making an appeal to her, that they believed somehow she could bring justice to the situation. Their stories then became both a gift and a responsibility. Having turned in her report, which was forwarded to the Nobel Peace Prize committee, she knew it would not be enough. After lengthy consideration, she opted to write a book for children – especially those in Colombia – containing several of these stories. The book has been translated into French and Spanish and is available both in the US and Colombia. The book is found in many public and school libraries around the US. Cameron regularly requests letters from teachers who are interested in using the book in the classroom.
The achievements of the Children’s Peace Movement have not gone unnoticed internationally. In 1999, the news network, CNN, produced a documentary about the movement entitled Soldiers of Peace: A Children's Crusade. Since then, delegations from the movement have travelled to New York and throughout Europe to talk about their experiences with the war and peacemaking efforts. In February of 2000, Queen Sofia of Spain awarded representatives of the Movement with the Grand Order of Social Solidarity. And of course there have been the three Nobel Peace Prize nominations.
From Cameron’s observations, it is clear that a children’s movement can play an important role in the peace process, especially where other methods have failed so miserably. She cites what former Colombian President Andrés Pastrana saw as the greatest obstacle to peace: maintaining people’s optimism and faith in the process. As an example, she tells how six months after the Citizens’ Mandate, adults, frustrated, angry and disillusioned, had indeed lost faith. Children in the Peace Movement however, were still optimistic. They saw the peace process stretching out over many years. “My generation,” says Farlis, “is the one that will make the peace, but we won’t get to enjoy it for a long time. The babies that are being born today, they are the ones who will know what peace means.” |
Sara Cameron Life Stories |
