“A young man returned from the bush, where he had killed many people. He did not know where those he had killed came from and he was being haunted. He had come home with the clothes of all those he killed, so to help him, the clothes, were collected and burned under a big tree. After this, the young man acknowledged that he had killed many people and therefore would be subject to cen.” (Margaret Angucia)
To ensure the holistic well-being of child ex-combatants, the formal recognition of the inclusion and ethical application of spiritual and religious practices by the international community in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services should be part of the rehabilitation and reintegration of child ex-combatants in their home communities. Existing literature on the practice of MHPSS for child ex-combatants focuses on the reintegration of former child soldiers in aiding their long-term recovery through their relationships with peers, family, and community.
A Triple Nexus Issue
Margaret Angucia conducted a research study on the inclusion of traditional indigenous Acholi spiritual and Christian practices in the reintegration of previously abducted children in northern Uganda. Many of these previously abducted children were associated with armed forces and armed groups (CAAFAG) such as the Lord’s Resistance Army. Angucia aimed to understand the use of practices such as “Nyono tonggweno” (egg-stepping) to reintegrate formerly abducted children into their home communities. According to family members and elders in the Alokolum and Amuru IDP camps, this cleansing ritual was significant in the acceptance of these children into their communities.
Similarly, Charles Wratto analyzed the reintegration of Liberian and Sierra Leonean former child soldiers using traditional purification rites and Western therapeutic trauma-informed care. The reintegration of former child ex-combatants can be approached as a peacebuilding effort for the long-term survival of their communities, but we must not forget that the reintegration of child ex-combatants must also include humanitarian and development practices.
The triple nexus is a multidisciplinary approach in which immediate humanitarian assistance to child ex-combatants is offered by organizations such as the Gulu United to Support the Children Organization (GUSCO). These rehabilitative centers offer services that heal physical, mental, and sometimes spiritual injuries before children return to their home communities. International development programs seek to reduce the risk of the re-recruitment of child ex-combatants through child protection efforts. The combined focus on rehabilitating and reducing the risk of re-recruitment must include children’s faith and spiritual beliefs in the MHPSS sector as a multidisciplinary approach to healing.
Cross-Cultural Healing
The international community has incorporated cultural sensitivity as part of its diversity and inclusion campaign. The UNHCR mentioned traditional indigenous spiritual practices and Christianity as part of its humanitarian work in its 2023 guide on culture, context, and MHPSS in South Sudan. UNHCR’s guide acknowledges spirituality and religion as an instrument alongside mental health and psychosocial support programs in the country. This move demonstrates the first step in decolonizing a practice in international affairs.
According to Charles Wratto:
“The tribal and religious dimensions of conflicts in Africa are complex in nature to the extent that achieving a positive result would require a conflict manager or psychologist seeking healing and community reintegration for war-affected children in Liberia…first and foremost, acknowledge that the ordeals and experiences of Africa are interpreted through the religious and cultural settings of their communities.” (pg. 50, 2016)
His concept of “Cross-Cultural Healing” should be incorporated into MHPSS practices as not only a decolonization effort of the international community but also in better serving the needs of people.
A Call for “Faith to Heal”
Formally recognizing spiritual practices as part of the rehabilitation and reintegration of child ex-combatants demonstrates efforts to decolonize the international system using the triple nexus approach while cross-cultural healing combines spiritual practices and existing Western therapeutic practices in MHPSS. I argue for the creation of a global committee comprised of worldwide spiritual and religious leaders to collaborate with MHPSS experts and child protection actors in creating a framework. This framework would be an ethical approach to practicing spirituality and religion in MHPSS. The “Faith to Heal” Initiative ensures that trauma-informed care and a diverse, inclusive community can heal the wounds that child ex-combatants carry from the battlefield.
About the Author
Miss Chelsea Akyeampong is a humanitarian professional and Pan-African Scholar. She began her Pan-African journey as an undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in which she focused on various modern African political ideologies that have shaped the African continent today, and continued her graduate studies in the Ethics, Peace, and Human Rights program at American University’s School for International Service. Miss Chelsea currently works as a contractor for the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance through Credence Management Solutions, LLC.