Identity formation and change in children and youth born of wartime sexual violence in northern Uganda

Thousands of children have been born of conflict-related rape within armed groups, eventually being integrated into civilian life. Yet, little is known about the ways in which captivity and reintegration into society following armed conflict impinge upon young people's identity formation. This study explored the life stories of children and youth born of conflict-related sexual violence within the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) as a means to investigate identity formation. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 79 children and youth (age range 12-22 years old) born in LRA captivity in northern Uganda. Inductive forms of data analysis were used, whereby through coding of transcripts the researchers identified key themes that were emerging from the data. Participants' narratives highlight the ways in which their childhoods were characterized by militarized identities as informed by the context of captivity and armed conflict. The transition to civilian life accompanied a significant shift in participants' conception of self, which was negatively affected by experiences of post-war identity stigmatization, and yet encompassed a self-narrative that rejected violence as part of their present and future lives. Psychosocial programs should take these findings into account in order to support the reintegration of children and youth who have experienced wartime captivity.