Human Trafficking in [Rwanda Street Children in [Rwanda] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Rwanda] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Republic
of Rwanda [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The Rwanda is a source country for
women and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual
exploitation. Rwandan girls are trafficked within the country for domestic
servitude, as well as for commercial sexual exploitation by loosely organized
prostitution networks. Small numbers of children from Rwanda’s Eastern
Province may be trafficked to Uganda for work on tea plantations or use in
commercial sexual exploitation. During the reporting period, recruiters for a
renegade Congolese general, fraudulently promising civilian employment,
conscripted an unknown number of Congolese boys and men from Rwanda-based
refugee camps, as well as Rwandan children from towns in Rwanda, for forced
labor and soldiering in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C.). - U.S. State
Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2008 [full country report] |
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CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Rwanda. Some of these links may lead to websites
that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false. No attempt has been made to validate their
authenticity or to verify their content. ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Ten
years after genocide, Rwandan children suffer lasting impact The children of Rwanda witnessed
unspeakable violence,” Bellamy said. “Tens of thousands lost their mothers
and fathers. Thousands were victims of horrific brutality and rape. Many were
forced to commit atrocities. The impact of the tragedy simply cannot be
overstated. ***
ARCHIVES *** U.S.
Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - There are isolated cases of Rwandan children being trafficked for
the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation, labor, and soldiering.
Children, specifically, have been trafficked to Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – There
were reports that persons were trafficked from and within the country. The country
was a source country for small numbers of women and children trafficked for
the purposes of sexual exploitation, domestic labor, and soldiering. Unlike
in the previous year, there were no reports of women being trafficked
internally or to Europe for prostitution, or child victims being trafficked
to Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 6 Civil Liberties: 5 Status: Not Free Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide Ten
years after genocide, Rwandan children suffer lasting impact The children of Rwanda witnessed
unspeakable violence,” Bellamy said. “Tens of thousands lost their mothers
and fathers. Thousands were victims of horrific brutality and rape. Many were
forced to commit atrocities. The impact of the tragedy simply cannot be
overstated. Interview
of John R. Miller, Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking
in Persons MILLER: Due to the special efforts of
Rachel Yousey, reports officer for Africa, there is
an added emphasis on child soldiering and slavery in this year's report.
Although it exists in other parts of the world, this phenomenon is most acute
in Africa. When you talk about abolishing child soldiering and slavery,
governments need to demonstrate political will and put pressure on military
forces to end this practice. There needs to be political will at the top. Our
embassies are increasingly addressing this issue. But there's also the issue
of rehabilitating these children whose lives and souls are damaged, who need
to be reintegrated into society. There are some models we are very impressed
with, including a shelter in Rwanda where 12 to 17 year-old former child
soldiers are sent for rehabilitative and psychological counseling and
services. They relearn their native language and receive help reintegrating
into their home communities. We are hoping to replicate programs like these. VI.
Children Without Parents: Victims of Abuse and Exploitation Perhaps the most devastating
consequence of the genocide and war in Rwanda is the hundreds of thousands of
children who have been orphaned or otherwise left without parental care since
1994. During the genocide and afterwards in refugee or displaced person
camps, these children were left to cope with atrocities taking place around
them and to fight for their own survival. Today, they struggle to rebuild
their lives with little help in a society that has been completely
devastated. With many living in poverty, they confront the daily challenges
of feeding, sheltering, and clothing themselves; trying to attend school; or
trying to earn a living. In the meantime, thousands of vulnerable children
are exploited for their labor and property and denied the right to education. CHILDREN AS TOOLS OF VIOLENCE - Thousands of Rwandan children
have been used as tools of genocide and war. Some joined in the campaign to
annihilate the Tutsi. Others were recruited by the RPF
when it was a guerrilla force or enlisted in the army or Local Defense Forces
of the current Rwandan government. Children are recruited to fight in Congo
on the side of the Rwandan ally, the RCD, as they
are by rebels fighting the Rwandan government, now known as the Army for the
Liberation of Rwanda (ALIR). Although they garner less sympathy, these
children taught to kill are victims too. IX.
International Legal Standards FREEDOM
FROM ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION - Children without their parents, like all children, have a right to
be free from abuse and exploitation.13
Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child holds states
responsible to protect all children from violence, neglect, mistreatment,
abuse, or exploitation at the hands of their parent, legal guardian, or
anyone else responsible for their care.14
The Rwandan government has failed to protect these children's rights to be
free of exploitation of their labor, to have access to education, and to
inherit property. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC §
107 for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use |
Human Trafficking in [Rwanda Street Children in [Rwanda] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Rwanda] [other countries]