Child Soldiers: Girls in Warfare

Guest: Liz Jevtic-Somlai, PhD, Visiting Professor of Political Science at BYU  A few years ago, a campaign group called Invisible Children released a movie that went viral – it’s been viewed more than 100 million times and came with a call to action: help catch infamous African warlord Joseph Kony.  That was 2012 and Joseph Kony is still free, still kidnapping children to make soldiers of them. Boys only 7 or 8 years old, given weapons, forced to commit atrocities. But not just boys. Visiting BYU political science professor Liz Jevtic-Somlai says the role of girls as child soldiers is often overlooked or misunderstood. Her research indicates girls are also some of the most challenging child soldiers to rehabilitate once the conflict ends.