Hundreds march for child soldiers
Thousands of people took part April 25 in a worldwide event known as “The Rescue,” a public demonstration run by the non-profit organization Invisible Children Inc. Richmond was one of one hundred cities to participate, culminating in a march from Monroe Park to Capitol Square.
Thousands of people took part April 25 in a worldwide event known as “The Rescue,” a public demonstration run by the non-profit organization Invisible Children Inc. Richmond was one of one hundred cities to participate, culminating in a march from Monroe Park to Capitol Square.
The Richmond event was led by VCU Invisible Children.
“We are standing on the shoulders of generations that have come before us, to use the power of a peaceful united act to create change,” said VCU Invisible Children President Kathryn Glushefski in a speech.
Demonstrators marched through downtown Richmond chanting, “We will, we will save them,” and “I don’t know but I’ve been told, Joseph Kony’s getting old.”
This specific demonstration was to oppose Joseph Kony, the Ugandan leader of rebel Lord’s Resistance Army. Kony has been charged by the U.N. International Criminal Court with murder, rape and forcing children to fight in his army for the past two decades, abducting about 20,000 children.
From 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., roughly 200 supporters demonstrated on the lawn of the Richmond Capitol, attracting media attention. The group aimed to attract a famous person to “rescue” them, so as to gain more notoriety for their cause.
“The Security Council strongly condemns the recent attacks by the LRA in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan,” stated a December 2008 press release from the U.N. Security Council. “It demands that the LRA cease its recruitment and use of children and that it release immediately all women, children and other non-combatants.”
At night, the demonstrators camped out in the Greater Richmond Convention Center. In the morning, they returned to Monroe Park, where they plan to stay until being rescued by a famous person.
“This is a whole bunch of people trying to bring awareness to the child soldiers that are over in northern Uganda, and we want to have them rescued so that they can return to their families,” said Theater major Courtney Dearing. “(We will) be here until we’re rescued.”
