Soldier and Singer Join Forces To End The Use Of Child Soldiers

Singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn and retired General Romeo Dallaire, both University of Victoria honorary degree recipients, will team up this fall at the university for Child Soldiers No More, an evening of song and spoken word in support of ending the use of child soldiers. An estimated 300,000 children in more than 30 countries serve as soldiers, human mine detectors, porters, spies, suicide messengers and sex slaves.

Proceeds from the October 4 concert will aid the Child Soldiers Initiative, developed by three UVic School of Child and Youth Care researchers. Sibylle Artz, Marie Hoskins, and Daniel Scott are working on a process to re-integrate war-affected children back into their communities. “Our research is aimed at developing effective methods of re-introducing these children to a stable life,” says Artz.

Tickets for the concert are $81.50 each (including GST and service charge) and go on sale April 26, 2008. For further information contact the University Ticket Centre at 721-8480 or visit http://www.auditorium.uvic.ca

Since witnessing the Rwandan genocide, which he documented in his award-winning book, Shake Hands with the Devil—The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, Dallaire has devoted himself to helping war-affected children. Cockburn has long been a spokesperson for global peace. “It is a great honour to be working with General Dallaire and raising awareness about this initiative,” he says.

“The active involvement of children in violent conflict is a concern for everyone working toward stability, peace and prosperity,” says Dallaire. “Removing all children from combat is an essential step to end cycles of violence and having Bruce Cockburn’s important support on this mission enables many more people to learn of the initiative”, says Dallaire.

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