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They gave me training. They gave me a gun. I took drugs. I killed civilians. Lots. It was just war,
what I did then. I only took orders. I knew it was bad. It was not my wish.
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A child soldier in Sierra Leone. |
In recent decades, literally tens of millions of children have been given a new chance to grow and prosper through better medical care, schooling or, in the case of refugees, through the protection and help of UNHCR and other humanitarian organisations. Despite these accomplishments, life remains desperate for millions of the world's youngest citizens, including 25 million children currently uprooted from their homes. A special summit on children, which had been cancelled because of the September 11 attacks in the United States, was held May 8-10 to review progress in helping these children.
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