Toward a relational understanding of reintegration and rehabilitation processes of former child soldiers

Worldwide, about 250,000 children are employed in armed factions. Their time in the army or rebel group charges them with a range of difficult and possibly traumatizing experiences. Moreover, when returning from the armed group, they often encounter difficulties reintegrating into their community and familial context, in particular social processes of stigmatization, discrimination, and expulsion. This article frames these difficulties within the broader social context, where organized violence induces deeply rooted processes of collective trauma on entire communities. Elaborating on diverse initiatives supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration processes of former child soldiers, a relational approach is put forward to address possible gaps in current humanitarian approaches. Additionally, current gaps and possible ways forward in research studying this group, starting from a relational approach, are discussed