スクリプトは事前提出されたものですので、ビデオの音声とは異なる場合があります。

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Will We Ever Find an Answer to This?

SHIMAGUCHI Sachie (Gifu National College of Technology)

“We are all equal.” “May peace prevail on earth.”

When I hear these phrases, I can't help feeling a bit cynical. Let's say, for example, when Japanese people's lives or American people's lives are lost in some kind of accident, the media makes a real big deal on TV or in the newspapers. However, even if so many lives are lost in poor countries, the media and people scarcely notice it.

No matter how many times we say “We are all equal.” and “May peace prevail on earth,” it sounds vain. Don't you think so?

Today, let me talk about the civil war in Sierra Leone, which occurred in western Africa. I would like every single one of you to think about what “justice” means with me.

The Sierra Leone civil war occurred from 1991 to 2002. It was a battle between the government and anti-government armies. They fought for a control over a diamond mine, and more than 75,000 souls were sacrificed in the war. 90% of the victims were ordinary citizens. One third of them, or more than 20,000 victims, were children.

The anti-government army “used” children as soldiers. They were kidnapped by the army. Some of them killed their parents as a ceremony to be a soldier. Some were put on dope not to feel terror. Children's bodies were abused and their pure minds were brainwashed.

One boy, who held a gun and killed his own people, was only eight years old. One girl who was raped by grown-up soldiers was ten years old. There were so many boys who did the same, and so many girls who had the same things done to them.

What put the lid on this brutal condition was the Lome Peace Agreement. This proposed agreement admitted the war crime that anti-government committed. In other words, the United Nations had compromised with terrorists to end this civil war. So these days in Sierra Leone, the victims and the murderers coexist and murderers receive preferential treatment.

When I found out about this civil war, I couldn't find a word to say, because this war was such a different world from the “justice” which I had in mind. Then I started to have two things in my mind.

First, why did they use children in the war? Children are supposed to be the future prospects of every country. It is an inhuman act to make children kill others. It would leave a huge scar in their hearts.

Secondly, why did the United Nations propose the Lome Peace Agreement? Wasn't there any other solution to stop the war than admitting the war crime?

I can only think that Lome Peace Agreement sacrifices “justice” in exchange for the peace of Sierra Leone.

I wonder if the agreement was “justice” for Sierra Leoneans to end the disastrous war. So, I think “justice” could differ depending on the situation. It cannot be defined as what's good or bad. That's why conflicts over the “justice” keep occurring here and there. Compromise solution may be necessary at times to put an end to conflicts. It means “justice” and “compromise” are two sizes of the same coin.

Now I would like each one of you to think about this: When you didn't have any solution to end a battle other than pretending it as “something never happened”, would you compromise with terrorists who killed your family? Would you ever be able to forgive them? I would definitely say “No”.

It's clear that taking someone's life is not something that could be forgiven for whatever the reason is and whoever it is: adults and children, people in developed and developing countries, nor, man and woman.

I believe the weight of life is the same in any situation. The justice I believe in is that everyone recognizes each other and mutual culture without fighting. The justice I believe in should make an ideal world.

I have three points to emphasize. At the very bottom, everyone must have enough food and a safe place to sleep. Apart from that, everyone must have family to take care or to be taken care of. And most of all, everyone must have a smile on the face.

It's still difficult for me to say what exactly “justice” is. I feel irritated to know while there are some people like us who are living peacefully, some others lose their lives in somewhere on earth at the same time.

An ideal justice differs with the individual, but at least everyone knows that killing people is not a justice. We need to know widely about the inhuman acts, such as random killing or child soldiers. We cannot criticize without knowing. We need to share these problems fairly.

I believe what's important to realize the ideal world is that we, one by one, are aware of the matter and able to discuss it. That's why I want to keep talking about the justice that I believe in.

Even if it might sound cynical, I shall continue shouting

“May peace prevail on earth!!”