"When the mayi-mayi attacked my village, we all ran away. In our flight, the soldiers captured all the girls, even the very young. Once with the soldiers, you were forced to "marry" one of the soldiers. Whether he was as old as your father or young, bad or nice, you had to accept. If you refused, they would kill you. This happened to one of my friends. They would slaughter people like chickens. They would not even bury the bodies they slaughtered... I even saw a girl who refused to be "married" being tortured
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- Jasmine, a 16 year-old girl who was recruited by the mayi-mayi armed group in South Kivu when she was 12. She now has a four-month-old baby.
Under international law, the recruitment and use of children under 18 is prohibited, and the recruitment and use of children under 15 is a war crime.
This is real. It happens every day ~ we just need to decide if we are going to do anything about it ...
Devious Comments
Thanks for including a couple of my photos in the feature.
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If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug a camera. --Lewis Hine
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If you alway do what you've always done, you will always be where you've always been ~ Anon
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Read my column, my poetry, interviews and short stories at AidanSemmens.co.uk
Thank you - your compliment is appreciated ...
I lived in Point Noirre, Congo in 1999; just after the rebels took over the power station ... so yes - I do look at this subject a little different than the average person ...
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=cfoto
Being Happy does not mean everything is perfect
It means you have decided to look beyond the imperfections
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Read my column, my poetry, interviews and short stories at AidanSemmens.co.uk
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I don't have enough time to thank all the people for favs and stuff on their pages... so please be patient and don't get angry
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The repurcussions of every act affect the fabric of eternity.
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