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The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting Presents:
SCARS AND STRIPES: LIBERIAN YOUTH AFTER THE WAR
A multimedia presentation and discussion of child soldiers both in Liberia and around the world
Date/time: Wednesday, April 9th from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Location: Georgetown University, Walsh Building in room 395 (36th Street between Prospect and N Streets)
Panelists:
Ruthie Ackerman, reporter and Pulitzer Center grant-recipient for the "Scars and Stripes: Liberian Youth After the War" reporting project
Eric Gibson, a Liberian refugee who survived Liberia's 14-year civil war by living behind rebel lines with Charles Taylor's rebel group
Rachel Stohl, senior analyst at the Center for Defense Information specializing in child soldiers and adjunct professor in Georgetown's Program on Justice and Peace
Discussion topics:
Ruthie Ackerman is a reporter based in Brooklyn, NY whose work focuses on Liberian youth after the war. She went to Liberia on a grant from the Pulitzer Center in September and is now writing a book about the legacy of U.S. colonial ties with Liberia. Ruthie will address the challenges of reintegration for Liberian youth both in the U.S. and Liberia.
Eric Gibson: During Liberia's 14-year civil war, Eric Gibson lived behind rebel lines with Charles Taylor's rebel group and survived by performing for the soldiers. Although Eric lived with the soldiers for protection, he was exposed to the atrocities they committed. Eric will share his experiences living with the rebels during the war, fleeing to live in Gambia, the Ivory Coast and Guinea, and then finally ending up in Staten Island where he's faced numerous challenges in the integration process.
Rachel Stohl is a senior analyst at the Center for Defense Information (CDI) at the World Security Institute in Washington, D.C. Rachel is also an adjunct professor in Georgetown's Program on Justice and Peace. For over 10 years, Rachel has worked on issues related to small arms and child soldiers. She has written numerous articles about child soldiers around the world and has worked with the U.S. Marine Corps to prepare troops for the realities of facing child soldiers in war. Rachel has spoken at the United Nations and several international conferences and is a frequent guest on radio and television. She is steering committee member of the U.S. Campaign to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers and advises the Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict. Rachel will address the global issue of child soldiers and what steps are being taken by the international community to stop the practice.
Sponsored by:
The Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
The African Studies Program
The Program on Justice and Peace
Amnesty International