As Americans are living their lives, working and socializing, thousands of children in Africa are in fear for their lives every day, because of one man, Joseph Kony. Kony, the leader of the African rebel group, the Lord’s Resistance Army, abducts children, using the boys as his soldiers and the girls as sex slaves. Recently a social media uprising has brought Kony and his crimes to light. The short film that was created for this campaign has been watched by millions. Though America does have their own problems here at home, children in Africa have been attacked for years and it is finally time to end this regime and save the “Invisible Children.”
The campaign, “STOP KONY” or “KONY 2012” focuses on capturing Kony before the end of the year and bringing him to justice. In the fall of 2011, President Obama sent 100 United States advisors to Uganda, where this is taking place, to gather information about Kony. The International Criminal Court, based out of the Netherlands, indicted the rebel leader in 2005 and, if captured, will charge him with abduction, sexual abuse, rape, murder and other charges. Since the United States became involved, Kony has gone into hiding and is changing the ways he leads the LRA to evade capture. Kony, who is believed to be 50 or 51 years of age, is said to have around 42 children and 60 wives, many underage girls who were abducted by the rebels. If Kony is not captured by Dec. 31 many forces that are trying to find Kony will cease operations and move out, and that is where the new global movement comes in.
Jason Russell, the film’s creator, has worked for eight years to stop Kony, and now that support is coming in from Washington D.C., Hollywood and all around the world, his message and goal is becoming more popular and more universal. No human should have the right to do what Kony is doing to another human, and that is why Russell and millions of others have created this crusade for justice. A thinking point for many in the half-hour film is the quote, “where you live should not determine whether you live,” and has become the cry of many activists who have joined this cause. The make-Kony-famous plea is not to celebrate the man, but rather to have so many people know his name and get so many agencies to go after him, that there will be nowhere for him to hide, and that he will be brought to justice.
On April 20, Russell and the “Invisible Children” organization will hold the “Cover the Night” movement, in which anyone involved can hang posters up in their city demanding for the government to do more to find Kony. Russell’s goal is to have everyone wake up on Friday, April 21 to 100,000 posters demanding the government to take action and prosecute Kony.
Kony’s so-called child army is said to be more than 30,000 strong. The boys become soldiers for Kony, as well as his bodyguards, and they must kill and defend him, sometimes being forced to kill members of their family. Innocent children have been taken from their homes and tortured, raped and sometimes even killed. This unnecessary slaughter and abduction ring needs to end, and in this age when ideas can spread around the globe in moments, we can end this atrocity. We must continue to work and support this cause and let Washington know we will not give up and neither should they. The 20 celebrities and 12 politicians that are being targeted to raise awareness have the ability to change the world, but we must also act and do our part, which may be as little as putting up posters, but the smallest actions can speak the loudest. We must bring Kony to justice, and give those children who have been silenced a voice. We may be millions of miles from Uganda and the terror, and may not be personally affected by this, but we are all humans and we must stand together, united as one.
