I wonder day in and out what the youths themselves go through in those training camps. I have read that about 50% of them are forcefully recruited into the Militia and that the trainings are just as bad. I have heard of rapes, hunger, torture and so many horrific things that happen in those camps and what troubles me is that the youths are blamed for doing horrific things on citizens, (some do it willingly of course) but what about the other ones who are forced to do those things? Who becomes their voice? Who talks about their suffering? Suffering of being turned into monster and having to live with it for the rest of their lives and discrimination from the society that knows of all your rape cases, murders, etc?
These young people never get counselling of any kind after such trauma and most of them go back home with the HIV virus and every kind of STD but nobody cares. It really pains me as a 22-year-old Zimbabwean that all the world talks about when it comes to this issue are the inhuman deeds of the youths (I don’t blame them) but I wish someone could cover the other side of the story especially for the forcefully recruited. CHARLEEN SIBANDA, by email