Announcement for Film Screening about Child Soldiers

Citizens for Global Solutions Proudly Presents:


“From Conscription to Justice and Reintegration: Child Soldiers in Africa”

Monday, March 12, 2007 from 3pm to 5:30pm
Stewart R. Mott House, 122 Maryland Ave. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002

Please join us, Bukeni T. Waruzi Beck, Executive Director of AJEDI-Ka/Projet Enfants Soldats, and Madeleine, a former girl soldier from the DRC, for a discussion and screening on child soldiers and the work of Mr. Beck’s organization.

A light reception will follow.

Space is limited so please RSVP no later than Thursday, March 8 to gkheiltash@globalsolutions.org.



Created to provide justice and accountability to victims of war crimes, crimes against
humanity, and genocide, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has
commenced its first landmark case against a Congolese warlord accused of forcibly
recruiting and conscripting tens of thousands of child soldiers in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC).

The systematic and widespread use of children—the most vulnerable members of the population—in armed conflict is not new. The plight of these children continues to shock the conscience and demands immediate and urgent action.

In a recent visit to the ICC, Citizens for Global Solutions Legal Analyst, Golzar Kheiltash, met with a remarkable man fighting on the frontlines on behalf of child soldiers in Africa. Mr. Bukeni T. Waruzi Beck is an activist and filmmaker who has dedicated his life to not only revealing the plight of child soldiers, but to giving these children a second chance. Mr. Beck documents the stories of hundreds of child soldiers on film, revealing a stark and systematic cycle of recruitment and conscription, narrated by the children and their families in their own words. His films powerfully demonstrate the difficulties of many children who want to
reintegrate into their communities after leaving the camps. This is especially true with girl soldiers who have suffered the added brutality of rape and sexual violence at the hands of their commanders.

Through his NGO, AJEDI-Ka/Projet Enfants Soldats, Mr. Beck combines the power of film with thepower of hope: a dedicated staff of eight works tirelessly to demobilize and reintegrate girl and boy soldiers and maintain long term follow up on the welfare of these children. In the words of Mr. Beck, “we at AJEDIKa/Projet Enfants Soldats devote our efforts to protecting the rights of children and the promotion of justice in their cause.”

Citizens for Global Solutions is proud to highlight Mr. Beck’s extraordinary work and provide our friends and colleagues with the opportunity to engage him on this critical issue.



For more information on AJEDI Ka/Projet Enfants Soldats, please visit:
http://www.ajedika.org/index.html