War Child Holland report: children are victims of serious human rights violations
Amsterdam, 11/22/12 - With the capture of the provincial capital of Goma and a fresh outbreak of violence, the situation for the population in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly children, has dramatically worsened. Throughout this long-running conflict, children have been victims of gross human rights violations, including killings, rapes and serious abuse. This is outlined by War Child Holland in the report 'Lost Childhoods: the continuing conflict in the Kivu provinces’. The Dutch charity makes an urgent appeal to all warring parties to stop the violence and to keep children safe from the conflict. War Child also calls on the United Nations to ensure that its peacekeeping force, MONUSCO, effectively protects the population.
“One evening there was a lot of gunfire and we ran away. Gunshots and bombs went off and my mother fell down in front of me. A bullet had gone into her chest. She took my hand still lying on the ground and told me to run. We had to leave my mother there; they told me she was dead. When I think of her I cry, I hurt.”
Violations of children’s rights
During armed conflict, children and young people always suffer the most. This new crisis compounds the serious dangers that children are facing in the east of the DR Congo. The War Child report cites instances of torture, sexual abuse, raids on schools, abduction and recruitment, concluding that children are victims of all six serious violations of children's rights, as defined by the United Nations in 2005. In addition, the resurgence of the conflict and the overthrowing of Goma have caused another massive displacement of civilians. Already vulnerable children may now become separated from their families and be left with no access to humanitarian assistance.
Statistics
· Since 1998, an estimated 5.4 million people have been killed in the DR Congo, due to the conflict and the subsequent humanitarian crisis. It is estimated that half of the dead were children.
· 1.6 million civilians in eastern Congo (North and South Kivu) are displaced, the highest number since late 2009. At least half of them are younger than 18 years of age.
· One-third of reported incidents of rape in the DRC involve children, 13% of which are children under the age of 10.
Call for protection
To prevent the current crisis from deteriorating even further, War Child calls on all armed parties to put an end to the violence and to adhere to the international standards for the protection of children in armed conflicts. The international community, particularly the UN peacekeeping force MONUSCO, must play a central role in the protection of the Congolese people, whose children are the most vulnerable. Waldo Serno of War Child says: "In the Kivus, we are now seeing new flows of refugees. This clearly shows that the civilians, including large groups of children, do not feel protected by the presence of MONUSCO."
War Child Holland
War Child Holland is an independent charity that invests in a peaceful future for children affected by war. With a creative and participatory approach, War Child helps children to cope with their war experiences. War Child protects children from (the consequences of) armed conflicts, stimulates their psychological and social development and organises education. War Child is doing its work in collaboration with dozens of local partner organisations and is active in 12 countries. Since 2003, War Child has been present in eastern Congo. It has projects in the Bukavu, Walungu and Mwenga regions, in the field of protection, psychosocial support and education.