To All Living Things
Last Week's Column

Amnesty Action:
The Destruction of Childhood

by Kathy Gay

his week’s action from Amnesty International concerns the abduction and abuse of thousands of Ugandan children by members of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), an armed opposition group that is fighting the Ugandan government. It is led by a man claiming possession by holy spirits whose main tactic is violence and terror directed at civilians. Several thousand northern Ugandan villagers have been mutilated, raped and killed by this group.

Since 1986, thousands of children have been abducted by the LRA. Some 3,000 are believed to have escaped, but thousands more have been executed by the LRA or killed during armed combat. Most of the children abducted are between the ages of 13 and 16. They are beaten and made into child soldiers, forced to fight well-armed government troops and murder villagers and other children who try to escape. Traumatized by what they have done and believing they are outcasts, these children have become bound to the LRA. In addition, girls are frequently raped and forced into "marriages" with older LRA soldiers.

Truly the children who have been abducted by the LRA have had their childhood destroyed and been denied rights the world has said should never be violated.

Background Information

The LRA has bases in Sudan and is supported and armed by the Sudanese government. Because of its relationship with the LRA, the Sudanese government has the power to intervene to free the children abducted by the LRA. Instead it further abuses these children by using them to fight armed opposition groups in Sudan. This makes the Sudanese government – which is bound by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – also responsible for LRA abuses.

Amnesty International is urging the Sudanese authorities to use their influence with the LRA to gain the release of all abducted children.

How you can help

Please send a letter to the President of the Republic of Sudan as soon as possible, but no later than April 1, 1998. You may use the sample letter linked below or use it as a model to write your own letter. If you choose to use the sample letter, please cut off or delete all website information at the very top of the letter. If you prefer to write your own letter, please keep in mind that its intent is to improve the human rights situation in Sudan. Make sure the letter is politely worded, non-partisan (i.e., not used as a vehicle for political expression) and written with respect for the recipient. Be sure to include both your name and address, as well as the date, on your letter.

U.S. airmail postage to Sudan is 60 cents.

Questions?

If you have any questions, just post a message to me (Kathy SF) in the Pub, and I will respond as soon as I can. I greatly appreciate your interest and support.

To see the sample letter for this action, please click here.

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Kathy Gay is a vegan, and has been a member of Amnesty International since 1987, where she has worked on numerous campaigns. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a business analyst for a leading California bank.

Kathy's column, To All Living Things, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.