“I was abducted in 1994 and became a child soldier at age 14. I was young. We walked the bush for six years.  We were in the bush fighting till we gained independence in 2011 as South Sudan. Some of my colleagues died in the bush, others are still in the army.”

Thus, begins the story of Adut (real name withheld to respect request for anonymity), a former child soldier in South Sudan’s Bor town.

Adut had been waiting for an opportunity to let out the story of his abduction and abuse at the hands of the armed forces, or so it seemed. A workshop organized, in his hometown, by the Child Protection Unit of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) presented that window of opportunity for him to share his story with the world.

“We faced hunger. We ate leaves and had no protection. Those days were terrible and dangerous,” said Adut, at the workshop to mark the International Day against the use of Child Soldiers.

Now at university, Adut says he is lucky – unlike his peers – and will work hard to become one of his Jonglei area leaders who will bring change to his people, especially children.

“I am lucky to be in university now. [I want] to be a leader, that will bring change to children in my community,” he said, standing behind a poster that read:

CHILDREN ARE BORN WITH THESE ARMS ( hands), NOT THESE ARMS (guns).

“We were underaged, carrying heavy guns. We were about 84 children, and food was never enough like now,” said Adut, reflecting on his life in the armed forces.

Now aged 33, Adut describes the celebration of the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers as a “wonderful day” that seeks to find protection for children.

“We want it to be celebrated and people to be aware that children should not be soldiers. It is a very good day for me and all children,” he said, thanking the UN and the agencies participating in marking the day. “We will also carry on the message to the people out there,” he concluded.

Adut would have been pleased to know that on the 21^st of February 2019, South Sudanese armed groups – both government and opposition – adopted an Action Plan to end six grave violations against children, which include the recruitment and use of children; killing and maiming; rape and other forms of sexual violence; abduction and attacks on schools and hospitals; and denial of humanitarian access.

“We are working with government on the implementation of the Action Plan which actually criminalizes the recruitment and mobilization of children in armed conflict,” said UNMISS child protection officer in Bor, Rebecca Corn, referring to the document.

More than 1,000 children have been released by various armed groups in South Sudan since February 2018, but the UN children’s fund, UNICEF, estimates that over 15,000 others are still in the ranks of armed groups. The country is still listed in the annexes of the report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations as a persistent perpetrator of grave violations against children.