China Keitetsi is a Ugandan activist who has won international renown as a campaigner for the plight of child soldiers. The memoirs of Keitetsi, a former child-soldier herself, have been translated in French, German, Japanese, Chinese and many other languages. The military use of children refers to children being placed in harms way in military actions, the desire being to protect a location or provide propaganda. ...

Biography

1976: China Keitetsi was born in the west of Uganda. Without her mother she spends her first years with her father and his new girlfriend.

1984: At the age of nine China runs off with her sister and tries to find her mother. She falls into the hands of the National Resistance Army. The National Resistance Army (NRA) began as a guerilla army of Uganda in the 1980s, led by Yoweri Museveni. ...

1986: On 26 January Kampala falls. Museveni is proclaimed as the new preseident, but Uganda remains haunted by civil war. Several armed groups fight against the new government. China, like many other children recruited by the NRA to fight in the battle against the Obote government, remains in the ranks of the new government's army, the Ugandan People's Defence Forces (UPDF). January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Kampala is the capital city of Uganda. ... Museveni on a visit to Washington Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (born 1944) has been the President of Uganda since 1986. ... Obote may refer to: Milton Obote, former president of Uganda Miria Obote, Ugandan presidential candidate and widow of Milton Obote This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... The Uganda Peoples Defence Force (UPDF), previously the National Resistance Army, constitutes the armed forces of Uganda. ...

1986-1995: Some short returns to civilian life but China Keitetsi spends the most of her time in the new governmental army. She loses many of her friends in battle. Like many other girls in the army she is raped several times by her superior officers.

1995: After spending ten years in the army of Museveni China escapes from the army. China flees with a friend through Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe to South Africa where she applies for refugee status. Four years later, China continues to fear for her safety and seeks help from the Department of Home Affairs. She is referred to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) whereupon she is offered the opportunity to relocate in Denmark. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (established December 14, 1950) protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. ...

China Keitetsi now lives in Denmark and has published her memoirs in a book entitled Child Soldier: Fighting for my life. She has become an international spokeswoman for the plight of child soldiers worldwide.

China's book was published first in Denmark and the Netherlands. In 2003 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as 2002 in South Africa. In the meantime it is also published in England, France, Spain, the Czech Republic, Japan and China.

External references

Interview with China Keitetsi in the Harvard Gazette [1]

Amnesty International [2] Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) comprising a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights.[1] Founded in the UK in 1961, AI compares actual practices of human rights with internationally accepted standards and demands compliance where these...

China Keitetsi homepage [3]