Children at War: "Innocent Voices"
Innocent Voices is a compelling documentary about the brutal Civil War in El Salvador, seen through the eyes of Oscar Torres, an 11 year old boy, who miraculously survived to tell his story. The film could easily be set in Guatemala, a neighboring country, as they endured a similar violent Civil War. You can listen to an NPR podcast about "Innocent Voices" here.
During the 1980's, El Salvador's armed forces were recruiting twelve year old boys, abducting them from schools, homes, villages and streets. Chava, the main character, is an 11 year old boy and the "man" of his household, after his father escaped to the United States. Chava has only one year of innocence left before he will be forced to train and fight against his own people, or "guerillas", of the FMLN. The movie follows Chava's journey in this worn torn country, where we see him escape the perils of death at the hands of the military and survive violent gun fire in his village. His story, poignant and touching, is a story worth seeing.
Here is my question: How can a country (or world!) justify the kidnapping and training of children for war? It is absolutely repugnant to me; I grieve over the innocence lost. We must stop this now.
Go rent the movie today.