4:30pm
Martika Bigham
A few years ago children from Gulu, Uganda were abducted from their homes by the Lord's Resistance Army. Although that was a while ago, they are still are psychologically coping with what happened to them. The children are still traumatized and haunted by their memories, long after their rescue and release.
One little girl by the name of “Alice” was abducted in 2005, when she was only 12-years-old. She shared her about her escape from rebel captivity in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. She was abducted by rebels that attacked out of a bush while she and her mother were working outside. She was told that if she tried to escape from them then she would be killed immediately.
The man who kidnapped her was named Pope. He provided her with food and told her to cook it for him. When she wasn’t able to do so, she was “caned” (beaten) until she became unconscious. When she came to, she was then taken way by Vincent Otti , the deputy commander of the Lord's Resistance Army. He told her that Pope had planned to kill her and that was why he took her way. While with him she traveled to Congo and planted crops. Otti promised to take her back one day, but he was killed before he could do so. She was told that if she or any of the other children cried over his death that they would be killed.
One day while fetching water she decided to try to escape. She got away and traveled for two weeks looking for any peace keeping forces she could find. On her way she was joined by another boy looking for a safe haven. They were caught and the boy was killed. “His head was cut off and the people carried his head, saying rebels were killing people in Congo. “ Alice was harshly beaten and almost died, but she was saved by a chief who took her and claimed her as his wife.
Soon after that she was rescued by Congo solders, who took her back to Gulu. Right now she is living with her uncle. She’s afraid to go home; for fear that people will call her a rebel. She is looking towards the future and is excited about returning to school.
Reading articles like this really scare me, I can’t imagine something like this happening to me or any of my peers. After reading about someone who went through such a traumatic experience, such as the one I read, I can’t imagine that after all that she doesn’t want to return home. If I were her I don’t think I would care what people said about me, all that would matter is that I could be with my family again. However, I’m happy that she’s looking forward to starting school again. I hope she does well in her studies and continues a safe and productive life.
3 comments:
This is a really scary thing. How anybody could come out of a situation such as that and still have a positive outlook in life is amazing. Alice must have an extreme desire to live and it's very admirable.
It is hard to imagine ever being in such a situation. I admire those who will give up their security to help those in Africa and other parts of the world that are going through this. I wonder about the psychological aftermath that takes place, like other parts of the body the mind tries to protect itself and develops defense mechanisms that turn into mental disorders. I have read articles about refugees that are in the U.S. and receive counseling when they arrive, some of them don't mention what they have been through and don't even attribute their current negative thoughts totheir horrifying experiences. I definitely don't think that is the case for everyone . I have worked with children who have lived traumatizing lives and it really creates issues for them. I am curious to know whether the constant life-threatening environment like the one Alice lives in protects them from the effects of those mental defense mechanisms because they are still useful and deeply embedded. It makes me feel like the perspective I am able to have on life is one I take for granted.
Post a Comment