Our interview took place in the early evening hours of Monday, April 19th in the home of UCSF professor Lynn Ponton. Dr. Ponton has a degree in children’s psychology, teaches at UCSF, and has been around the world to help children who have suffered from the conditions of war-torn areas. Some of the information we received included the logic behind using children as soldiers, how children are so easily taken advantage of, and how groups are currently attempting to rehabilitate children who have escaped from their captors.
Dr. Ponton received us kindly into her home. We were initially greeted at the door by her assistant and subsequently were led back to her office, packed with various literatures on different aspects of the child psyche. Dr. Ponton was in an upbeat mood, evident by her constant smile, and was clearly excited to have us interview her, expressing to my partner and I many times her appreciation for our interest in researching the topic. She treated us well and was glad to see that we as young individuals showed an interest in the topic she had devoted her life study.
What we learned that we expected to learn was why children are chosen as soldiers by conflict groups. Beforehand we had done much research on the justice issue, and had assembled a few reasons for why we assumed children are chosen to fight. Some of these reasons included their easy manipulability, abilities to blend into crowds, and sheer numbers. All of these reasons were confirmed and elaborated upon by Dr. Ponton. Additionally we learned the process of how children are so easily taken advantage of, and how groups are currently attempting to rehabilitate children who have escaped from their captors.
The one thing that I was surprised to learn was that the use of children in war is not a new problem. Initially I had assumed that it was a new problem due to the only recent rise in publicity concerning rising death tolls and decreasing life expectancy in the poorer countries around the world. What Mrs. Ponton explained, however, was that the problem has always been present but has only recently begun to attract attention around the world. She, for example, specifically referenced ancient warfare in nations such as Persia, where children were often used in suicide missions and battles with little expectance of victory. Their innocence has constantly been taken advantage of in the past, and the trend continues at an ever increasing rate today
My overall impression of the interview is that it went well, and was easier than I had previously expected. There were only small lulls in conversation and my partner and I were able to obtain useful information for our project. Initially I was a little intimidated interviewing someone with such vast knowledge in the subject, but was put at ease to learn that Mrs. Ponton was so enthusiastic to provide information to youth interested in the issue of children in war. She encouraged us to call her back at any time if we required any more information on the subject.
