Disqualified: Ex-child soldiers’ journey back home with stigma and trauma A study on the social reintegration challenges of Nepalese ex-child soldiers

Abstract

The aim of the study is to understand the social and psychosocial factors that hinder social integration of the ex-child soldiers returned from the civil war that lasted for 10 years in Nepal. The study highlights the findings that the ex-child soldiers came across difficult psychological and social challenges – mainly in the form of social stigma and personal trauma. The Study brings together theoretical discussion on how social stigma marginalizes ex-child soldiers and creates a social coercion between the ex-child soldiers and family and general society. The study also highlights that apart from the physical rehabilitative support in the form of resources, training and education; there stands a huge need of providing psychosocial support to attain the psychological resilience. Through the interview with key informants, ex-child soldiers and FGD with caseworkers, the study found out that the participants have sustained social stigmatization mainly through labelling and stereotyping as disqualified, unable to contribute to society, dangerous or deviant and threats to social order and cohesion. The perception of self-labelling and social labelling has created the identity of ‘disqualified’ and has resulted them to be out of access to many social integration services provided by the help organizations. The post traumatic expression during interview have been observed among the ex-child soldiers in the form of anger and anxiety and feeling of loss and deception when they were termed as disqualified and sent back home with little life opportunities. The study highlights the insufficiency of the coherent and sustained services to attain rehabilitative, developmental and life changing opportunities even if the contribution made by help organizations, UN and the government is praiseworthy. I particularly highlight the fact that attainment of political goal of peace and stability overshadowed the need to support the ex-child soldiers. Lastly, the study concludes that there is a significant failure, at least among the people interviewed, to adapt to normal society life, mainly due to lack of relevant social support to meet the expectation of the ex-child soldiers; but largely due to the lack of strong political commitment and because of the fake glorification of their participation in the war by the Maoist.