--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we talk about the issue of child…" description: "\"When we talk about the issue of child soldiers, it can be easy to focus just on ending recruitment and liberating those boys and girls who are currentl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/forest-whitaker-3022_children_when-we-talk-about-the-issue-of-child-so_2364502.jpg" --- # When we talk about the issue of child soldiers, it can be… ![“When we talk about the issue of child soldiers, it can be easy to focus just on ending recruitment and liberating those boys and girls who are currently being held in military camps. Obviously, both of these are incredibly important goals, but it's also essential that we not forget about former…” quote by Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/forest-whitaker-3022_children_when-we-talk-about-the-issue-of-child-so_2364502.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/forest-whitaker-3022_children_when-we-talk-about-the-issue-of-child-so_2364502.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d7/forest-whitaker-3022_children_when-we-talk-about-the-issue-of-child-so_2364502.jpg) > “When we talk about the issue of child soldiers, it can be easy to focus just on ending recruitment and liberating those boys and girls who are currently being held in military camps. Obviously, both of these are incredibly important goals, but it's also essential that we not forget about former child soldiers once they are liberated.” [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote stresses that helping former child soldiers requires ongoing support beyond rescue, addressing reintegration and long‑term wellbeing. **In simple terms:** Help former child soldiers after rescue. Key Takeaway Provide lasting reintegration support. Themes rehabilitation human rights post‑conflict recovery Mood empathetic urgent Type advocacy policy humanitarian When to use this quote - community programs - mental health services - vocational training - policy advocacy Key Concepts psychosocial healing education economic empowerment Questions to Reflect On - How can societies ensure lasting support for former child soldiers? - What resources are needed for effective reintegration? A Different Perspective Sustained aid is costly and may face local resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Child Soldiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-soldiers-1068277/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending/) [Ending Recruitment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ending-recruitment-5801380/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Forget Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-child-3614081/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Liberating Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberating-boys-5801378/) [Recruitment Liberating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recruitment-liberating-5801379/) ## Related quotes > [For many child soldiers, war and violence are all they have ever known. If we don't take it upon ourselves to show them an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/for-many-child-soldiers-war-and-violence-are-all-they-have-ever-known/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [Parents sometimes forget that after the child emerges from the utter physical and mental helplessness of infancy, it is becoming more and more an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prentice-mulford/parents-sometimes-forget-that-after-the-child-emerges-from-the-utter/) [Prentice Mulford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prentice-mulford/) > [After working in a number of films as a child actor, I took a break so that people could forget me as a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/after-working-in-a-number-of-films-as-a-child-actor-i-took-a-break-so/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [Compelled to become instruments of war, to kill and be killed, child soldiers are forced to give violent expression to the hatreds of adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olara-otunnu/compelled-to-become-instruments-of-war-to-kill-and-be-killed-child/) [Olara Otunnu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olara-otunnu/) > [My calling was first of all to ensure there was peace in the country, because we could easily have gone back to war. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-johnson-sirleaf/my-calling-was-first-of-all-to-ensure-there-was-peace-in-the-country/) [Ellen Johnson Sirleaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-johnson-sirleaf/) > [In my senior year of high school, I read an article in 'Newsweek' about child soldiers in Sierra Leone. I felt a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/in-my-senior-year-of-high-school-i-read-an-article-in-newsweek-about/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [Universal ratification of the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict will establish an international moral consensus that no child should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-ki-moon/universal-ratification-of-the-optional-protocol-on-the-involvement-of/) [Ban Ki-moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ban-ki-moon/) > [It may seem unimaginable to you that child soldiers exist and yet the reality for many rebel and gang leaders, and even state governments,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rom-o-dallaire/it-may-seem-unimaginable-to-you-that-child-soldiers-exist-and-yet-the/) [Roméo Dallaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rom-o-dallaire/) > [A lot of child soldiers lose their minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/a-lot-of-child-soldiers-lose-their-minds/) [Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/) > [The saddest sight these days is the image of hundreds of thousands of children kidnapped and lured into being child soldiers from the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-moore/the-saddest-sight-these-days-is-the-image-of-hundreds-of-thousands-of/) [Roger Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-moore/) > [It's somewhat disquieting that the same parents and educators who are horrified by the notion of child soldiers have bestowed upon 'The Hunger Games'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-oppel/it-s-somewhat-disquieting-that-the-same-parents-and-educators-who-are/) [Kenneth Oppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-oppel/) > [More and more, we have been able to present the argument that recruitment of child soldiers is a social breakdown that leads to atrocities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rom-o-dallaire/more-and-more-we-have-been-able-to-present-the-argument-that/) [Romeo Dallaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rom-o-dallaire/) > ['Beasts of No Nation' began when I read an article about child soldiers in Sierra Leone during my final year of high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/beasts-of-no-nation-began-when-i-read-an-article-about-child-soldiers/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [So ,you're thinking it's ending but it's only just began.Your whole life is there right-right in front of you! Life's a story that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/so-you-re-thinking-it-s-ending-but-it-s-only-just-began-your-whole/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [So many times in television, you get cancelled arbitrarily as a result of your ratings in the off season, and you don't have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-wyle/so-many-times-in-television-you-get-cancelled-arbitrarily-as-a-result/) [Noah Wyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-wyle/) ## More by Forest Whitaker > [To try and act like we haven't had great progress is not true. Obama didn't fail - he changed the psyche of the nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/to-try-and-act-like-we-haven-t-had-great-progress-is-not-true-obama/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [In high school, I did some musicals, but I never took acting until college. I was studying opera, classical voice, and a speech teacher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/in-high-school-i-did-some-musicals-but-i-never-took-acting-until/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I'm really excited that people are receiving my performance like this. It makes me feel good, because I've been working really hard. And this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-m-really-excited-that-people-are-receiving-my-performance-like-this/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [If I go to a reunion in east Texas, my mother's side or my father's, one out of ten is a preacher or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/if-i-go-to-a-reunion-in-east-texas-my-mother-s-side-or-my-father-s/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [ As an artist, it's a great opportunity to play a character like this \[Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland\]. And… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/as-an-artist-it-s-a-great-opportunity-to-play-a-character-like-this/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I can play a man who's despicable. But I'll still look inside him to find a point of connection. If I can find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-can-play-a-man-who-s-despicable-but-i-ll-still-look-inside-him-to/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [It's all about destiny. That's why people look at the zodiac or the I Ching - because there's a certain order to life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/it-s-all-about-destiny-that-s-why-people-look-at-the-zodiac-or-the-i/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [My wife is completely different from me: she's good with everyone, whereas I'm good at directed conversation when I have a purpose for it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/my-wife-is-completely-different-from-me-she-s-good-with-everyone/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I was a curious child. I'd debate with anyone who came to the door - people from the Islamic community... Jehovah's Witnesses... anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-was-a-curious-child-i-d-debate-with-anyone-who-came-to-the-door/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [There was a time in my acting career, where I was trying to figure out if acting was the thing to do. You know?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/there-was-a-time-in-my-acting-career-where-i-was-trying-to-figure-out/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [The first time I ever went out of the country, it was to London. I was with the choir from my college, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/the-first-time-i-ever-went-out-of-the-country-it-was-to-london-i-was/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [If I were to mark three, I'd mark Bird, because I grew immensely as an artist, I learned a lot, and also, I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/if-i-were-to-mark-three-i-d-mark-bird-because-i-grew-immensely-as-an/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I try to be like a forest: revitalizing and constantly growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-try-to-be-like-a-forest-revitalizing-and-constantly-growing/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I stay true, because whatever the project is, I'm still looking for inside of that character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-stay-true-because-whatever-the-project-is-i-m-still-looking-for/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [It's a contract of connection to be in the same space and watch and listen to stories and be caught in them. When you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/it-s-a-contract-of-connection-to-be-in-the-same-space-and-watch-and/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) [Explore all 142 Forest Whitaker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. 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