In some LRA-occupied regions, as many as 10 percent of the inhabitants were abducted. While some eventually returned to their communities, others died in captivity.
"Many of these children and adults are still unaccounted for, and more work is needed to identify the whereabouts of those still missing," said Vinck, director of the Berkeley-Tulane Initiative.
UC Berkeley's Human Rights Center has undertaken two research projects in northern Uganda in recent years - one on the impact of the war on children and youth, and the other on attitudes toward peace and justice in the region. For this latest report on forced conscription, the center joined forces with Tulane University researchers trained in epidemiology and development "to expand our capacity for data collection and analysis," said Camille Crittenden, executive director of the UC Berkeley center.
The report recommends that UNICEF and other international and national child welfare organizations develop community-based programs to help former child soldiers in northern Uganda and other war-torn countries recover from abuse and trauma, and establish livelihoods. Such programs would offer educational and career opportunities, including job and leadership training.
It also proposes that the United Nations establish a standardized system for collecting and analyzing data on former child soldiers and missing people for rehabilitation centers and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programs.
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