Students peacefully protest child soldiers in Uganda

Intermountain Catholic

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The Juan Diego Catholic High School Human Rights (HRI) Club joins the national march for Ugandan children soldiers. They said it was empowering to see how many people have devoted their time to this rally. They said as they walked in unison it gave them chills as they chanted and held on to the rope. People in cars would honk at them and give them a thumbs up. Word spreads and they are getting the word out about the atrocities of the Invisible Children. IC photos by Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — More than 500 high school and college students, and other interested participants, tied themselves together with a rope to abduct themselves and peacefully protest the use of child soldiers in Uganda April 25.

They walked from President’s Circle at the University of Utah to the Gallivan Center in downtown Salt Lake City to draw attention to the atrocities of the Invisible Children in Uganda who are kidnapped to fight, and sometimes forced to kill their own families.

This Invisible Children-led rally, themed "The Rescue" was held in 100 cities across nine countries, to bring attention to the plight of the children abducted and forced to fight as soldiers in Central East Africa.

The Juan Diego Catholic High School Human Rights International Club (HRI), an Invisible Children group from Judge Memorial Catholic High School, abducted themselves for the abducted.

The Gallivan Center served as their symbolic "refugee camp". They remained abducted until a person of influence such as a celebrity, government official, and the media arrived to rescue them.

It was a success. After many phone calls to all the television stations, the daily newspapers, the Intermountain Catholic, senators, and representatives, Senator Bob Bennett was reached at 7 p.m. in his office. At 7:30 p.m. he arrived to rescue them.

Sen. Bennett read the Rescue Anthem, "There are those who expect the unexpected, those who cast their vote for hope, those who believe that good will triumph over evil. We are those people. We are the masses, misfits, moguls, media, millennials doing what we can now, with what we have. Our voice, our impact is only limited by our willingness to change…."

The students wrote more than 800 letters to President Barack Omaba and government officials to gain attention. The attention generated from similar events held in Washington D.C. widely contributed to the start of the peace talks between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda, supported by special envoys from the United States and other nations. The LRA is led by Joseph Kony, who is wanted by the United Nations for war crimes against humanity. It is hoped the attention from this event will mobilize greater international efforts.

"We are here representing Juan Diego because we have been involved with Invisible Children for three years now," said Braelyn Beltran. "We have raised over $100,000 for Invisible Children. We abducted ourselves to raise political awareness against a 22-year war in Northern Uganda.

"We need to get the attention of political people who can really make a difference," said Elana Jadallah.

"Our letters bring attention to the atrocities being committed by the LRS against the children, and ask the political officials to take immediate action to protect children from their attacks and bring peace.

"Ten million people have been displaced from their homes into camps," said Beltran. "Kids had to night commute sometimes 40 miles so they would not be abducted. In 2006 we did "Global Night Commute," and in 2007 it was "Displace Me."

"No one knows, that is the reason they are invisible, so we have to get the word out," said Jadallah.

Judge Memorial’s Emily Burchett said, "It was a really powerful statement for people in cars to see all of us tied to a rope walking. It definitely spread the awareness like we wanted it to by having this event."

"Thank all of you for coming out today," said former Mayor Rocky Anderson. "It’s cold and wet, but you are demonstrating to this entire community, and that is what this is all about – raising awareness that you are not going to put up with this any more. Joseph Kony has been doing this for 22 years when the entire world has been turning a blind eye. Just as the entire world has been turning a blind eye to the genocide in Sudan. And the reason the nation did not lift a finger was because there was not a movement like this. It is all up to us."