In a room packed with School of International and Public Affairs students Tuesday evening, a panel discussion featuring Ishmael Beah, who was forced into military service at the age of 13, took on the subject of child soldiers and what the United Nations has done for them.

The central focus of the event was UN resolution 1612, “the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children,” which advocates the tactic of “blame and shame” against countries who use child soldiers in their armies. Along with Beah, six panelists from the UN and several non-governmental organizations shared their perspectives on issue over the course of the night.

Beah, the marquis speaker, came to the podium last. Orphaned at a young age by civil war in Sierra Leone, Beah was forcibly taken into service as a child soldier. He spent three years as a soldier under the influence of drugs and psychological abuse before being rescued by UNICEF and eventually sent to the United States, where he graduated from Oberlin College and now holds permanent residence. Speaking softly, Beah stressed the “importance of things on the ground.”

“It is important to raise awareness,” he said, “it gives hope to the people on the ground.” He said that he believed the UN, UNICEF, and NGOs like Human Rights Watch help the situation by getting information to the public in areas that are not directly affected. But he also stressed that these organizations are by no means perfect. “It is more important to talk about what hasn’t been done and what can be done,” he said.

Many in the audience said they came to the event simply because of Beah. “Ishmael really moved me to come,” said Jennifer Silvi, a first-year SIPA student, “hearing his perspective was a really big draw.”

A number of UN employees were also scattered about the audience. Martine Therer, an employee of the UN Development Program said that the panel gave a good overview of what the UN is doing for child soldiers. She reacted to Beah’s statements, saying, “the UN cannot do it alone. It is an issue that should concern everybody.”

The event, celebrating the anniversary of the United Nations Charter coming into force, also included the French representative to the UN, Jean-Maurice Ripert; Nicolas Michel, the Under-Secretary General from the Office of Legal Affairs at the UN; Hilde Johnson, the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF; Jo Becker, the Advocacy Director of the Children’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch; Tonderai Chikuhwa, from the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict; Dr. Augustine Philip Mahiga, the former member and President of the UN Security Council; and Beah, a former child soldier from Sierra Leone and author of the book A Long Way Gone, an autobiography of his experiences in a war.

The reporter of this article can be reached at news@columbiaspectator.com.