"I don't want a gun"--Church World Service partner promotes a weapons-free Sierra Leone.

11/10/05

"I don’t want a gun"

One legacy of Sierra Leone’s 10-year civil war is the widespread availability of small arms. Half a billion small arms are in circulation worldwide, one for every 12 persons. Small arms militarize societies and maintain a culture of violence long after peace agreements have been signed and combatants demobilized.

Small arms devastate the lives of children. Child soldiers are taught to handle these light, easy-to-use weapons in times of war in many countries. When hostilities cease, former child soldiers may retain their small arms as a means of economic survival. Others are exposed to the arms retained by adult ex-combatants in their households.

With support from the Church World Service Education & Advocacy Program, the Council of Churches in Sierra Leone is addressing root causes of the conflict and the culture of violence it perpetuated.

In 2003, the Council held workshops to help clergy, women and youth groups find democratic solutions to the country’s political, social and economic problems. The Council also provided legislative advocacy, observed parliamentary sittings and took part in shaping bills on education and local government.

By launching the Sierra Leone Action Network on Small Arms, the Council has raised awareness about the problem of light weapons. The Ministry of Defense and many schools support this initiative. The Council continues its work in promoting a weapons-free environment.

With CWS support, the Council also spurred inter-religious involvement in hearings of Sierra Leone’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Alimamy Koroma is Secretary General of the Council of Churches of Sierra Leone. During a visit to New York earlier this year, he spoke about the Council’s current efforts to nurture peace.

CWS: What is the Council doing to reduce the number of small arms in Sierra Leone?

Alimamy Koroma: As part of our campaign against small arms, we’re asking children with toy guns at school to disarm. The idea is to catch them young. We ask them to bring their toy weapons to the Council of Churches and we replace them with other toys and educational tools like crayons, footballs, etc. A lot of children have seen what arms can do. They see amputees and other maimed people all around them. They are getting the idea. They are beginning to say “I don’t want a gun.” The Council has also set up the Sierra Leone Action Network on Small Arms and brought other NGO’s on board.

CWS: Are there other ways in which the Council is meeting the needs of young people as Sierra Leone rebuilds after a decade of civil war?

Koroma: We run a human rights program for sexually abused children, to help them gain access to legal representation, and to help them return to normal life by linking them to agencies that provide support. We pursue the perpetrators through the courts. We also provide support for the reintegration of young ex-combatants and girls displaced or otherwise affected by the war.

CWS: What is the Council doing for other vulnerable groups?

Koroma: We’re involved in HIV/AIDS mitigation and education. We’re sensitizing religious communities. At the government hospital in Kenema District, we support a consulting unit for people that have tested positive and need treatment. We also train volunteer educators. The Council also promotes the rights of Liberian refugee women and supports their efforts to maintain their livelihoods in the camps in the south and east.