How to Find the ‘Hidden’ Girl Soldier? Two Sets of Suggestions Arising from Liberia

Abstract

Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programmes risk leaving girl soldiers behind. Even though the reasons behind the voluntary and/or involuntary exclusion of girl soldiers are widely understood, informal exchanges with current DDR practitioners suggest that there remains an acute need to record easily applicable methods for tracing the ‘hidden’ girl soldier in various conflict surroundings around the world. This Chapter draws from a data set comprising of 133 semi-structured interviews and 25 auto-photographic interviews conducted with former girl soldiers in Liberia between 2012 and 2014. This Chapter provides two sets of suggestions on how (and how not) to address the challenge of the invisible girl soldier. The first substantive part of the Chapter is targeted primarily at academic researchers wishing to undertake empirical fieldwork on the ground. In addition to practical discussion that leans on auto-biographical field notes and research journals, some of the numerous challenges and contradictions of the ‘Do No Harm’ principle are addressed. The second part provides practical interview tips especially to DDR officers undertaking screening interviews in conflict sites themselves.

Keywords: autoethnography, girl soldiers, Liberia, DDR, gender-based discrimination, research ethics