Socialization and Re-socialization

From the reviewed literature on child soldiers, children of very young ages were involved in armed conflict, which meant interrupted child growth and socialisation. Giddens (1993:68) argues that deprivation of early family socialisation and kin attachments often produces behavioural disturbances of a lasting kind. A major function of the family is the socialization of young members. This contributes to the maintenance of society since cooperation of children largely depend on learned, shared norms and values internalised during early childhood (Haralambos and Holborn 1990:9).

Giddens (1993:68) argues that deprivation of those early attachments often produces behaviour disturbances of a lasting kind. He goes argue that there is considerable evidence to show that children without stable attachments during their early years show intellectual retardation, as well as experiencing difficulties later in forming close and lasting relationships with others.

Culture is viewed by Functionalists as assisting in socialisation of norms and values of cultural community structures to achieve stability when child soldiers reintegrate and to maintain the overall operation of society (Macionis 1997:86). The reason for stability of a cultural system, as Functionalists see it, is that core values anchor its way of life. Core values shape the processes, binding together members of society. Thinking culturally is identifying deviance and addressing it through social control. In culture, there is reason to support social reintegration by community structures to pass on the core positive cultural values which assist the process of socialization, where societal values are

47 transmitted from generations and internalized to form an integral part of the individual personalities of returning child soldiers.

After their involvement in armed conflict, the children went through a re-socialization process, which involved the disruption of previously accepted values and patterns of behaviour, since they had to adopt radically different ones (Macionis 1997: 80). Where children‟s personalities were radically altered through deliberate manipulation by the commanders, the children‟s socialisation process was “thrown into a reverse” (Giddens 1993:81). Their socialized behaviour is stripped away and individuals experience similar anxieties to those of young children removed from parental protection, which effectively restructure personalities in relation to their experiences, since personalities are never simply fixed.

The socialization process starts afresh, where agents of socialisation have to be re- engaged to pass on the cultural values, attitudes and norms. The family and extended family members become vital pillars of the community structure to the realization of this new process during the reintegration period.

Macionis (1997:133) argues that the family is the most important agent of socialization because it represents the centre of children‟s lives. The family shoulders the task of teaching the children cultural values, attitudes, and prejudices about themselves and others. The family confers on children a social position, that is, parents not only bring children into the physical world, it also places them in society in terms of race, ethnicity, religion and class. Schooling, peer groups and mass media play an important role in children‟s socialization. In many cultures, especially in Africa, families constitute aunts, uncles and grandchildren who serve as caretakers for young infants. Children pick up ways of behavioural characteristic from their parents, others in their neighbourhood or community members (Giddens 1993:76).

48 Peers are a very important factor in socialization, especially among groups of child soldiers. A peer group is a social group such as child soldiers whose members have interests, social positions and age in common. Unlike the family and the school, the group allows young people to escape from direct supervision of adults by joining rebel groups in war-torn African countries. With this newfound independence members of peer groups gain valuable experience in forging relationships on their own and developing a sense of themselves apart from their families, especially in war situations where families have been killed. Peer groups also give young people the opportunity to discuss interests that may not be shared with adults or their commanders. In rapidly changing societies, peer groups rival parents in influence, as the attitudes of parents and children diverge along the lines of a generation gap. The primacy of peer groups typically peaks during adolescence, as young people begin to break away from their families and think of themselves as responsible adults. At this stage of life, young people or child soldiers often display anxious conformity to peers because this new identity and sense of belonging eases some of the apprehension brought on by breaking away from the family (Macionis 1997:135).

Giddens (1993:77-78) defines peers as friendship groups of children of similar age. He asserts in some cultures, particularly small traditional societies, peer groups are formalized as age-grades. Each generation has certain rights and responsibilities and these alter as members grow older. The word peer means equal and friendship relations established between young children. The peer relations among child soldiers are said to be more democratic than those between a child and its parents. Peer relations are founded on mutual consent, rather than the dependence inherent in the family situation, there is a large amount of give and take. Individuals may be members of the same social clique or fighting regiment and keep the same group of friends, for most or all of their lives. Acknowledging this reality will be important in exploring some of the peer networks formed during the conflict, and how these can be harnessed for social reintegration.

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