Prevalence,
Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children In the first decade
of the 21st Century gvnet.com/streetchildren/Burundi.htm
|
|||||||||||
|
CAUTION: The following links
and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the
situation in Burundi. 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. HOW TO USE THIS WEBPAGE Students If you are looking for
material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on this
page and others to see which aspect(s) of street life are of particular
interest to you. You might be
interested in exploring how children got there, how they survive, and how
some manage to leave the street.
Perhaps your paper could focus on how some street children abuse the
public and how they are abused by the public … and how they abuse each
other. Would you like to write about
market children? homeless children? Sexual and labor exploitation? begging? violence? addiction? hunger? neglect? etc. There is a lot to the subject of Street
Children. Scan other countries as well
as this one. Draw comparisons between
activity in adjacent countries and/or regions. Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources
that are available on-line. Teachers Check out some of
the Resources
for Teachers attached to this website. ***
FEATURED ARTICLES *** BURUNDI: Sex and
drugs leave Bujumbura's homeless at risk of HIV UN Integrated
Regional Information Networks IRIN PlusNews,
Bujumbura, 11 July 2007 www.irinnews.org/report/73199/burundi-sex-and-drugs-leave-bujumbura-s-homeless-at-risk-of-hiv [accessed 10 March
2015] Sexual violence is
also prevalent, as people living on the streets of Bujumbura are vulnerable
to sexual attacks and often have nowhere to turn. Newcomers to the streets usually seek
protection from older, more experienced boys, which often entails entering
into a sexual relationship with one's protector. Olivier Ndimubandi,
12, told IRIN/PlusNews about his humiliating rape
by his protector, in the presence of other boys on the street. The attack
left him injured, but he said he did not trust the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that have offered him support, and
had received no medical care. A spate
of violent rapes in the capital in 2005 was blamed on street dwellers,
prompting the government to round up all street children and house them in a
local rehabilitation centre, but a few months later they were back on the
streets. Travel Warnings And
Warden Messages www.usembassy.gov/burundi-pub/burundi/WM_street_safety.html [Last access date
unavailable] On August 6, 2004,
an American citizen was harassed by a group of street children. While
exiting a vehicle, a group of street children attempted to enter the American
citizen’s vehicle. The American citizen reported that the children
pounded on the vehicle and were able to open a passenger-side door. The
American citizen escaped without injury. All U.S. Government personnel
and American citizens are advised to exercise caution while traveling on foot
on either side of Boulevard de l'UPRONA, from the
intersection of Avenue du Congo to the intersection of Chaussee
du Peuple Murundi, and in
the vicinity of Place de l'Independence. ***
ARCHIVES *** Human Rights
Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices U.S. Dept of State
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, March 8, 2006 2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61557.htm [accessed 7 February
2020] CHILDREN
-
According to a survey carried out in the beginning of the year and the
director of Maison Shalom, at least 230 thousand
children were HIV/AIDS orphans (had lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS).
The ongoing conflict and increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS has increased the
number of orphans, which has resulted in an increase in the number of street
children. The total number of orphans in the country, including children who
were orphaned by causes other than HIV/AIDS, was more than 970 thousand,
according to the survey cited by UNICEF. According to the Ministry for
National Solidarity, Human Rights, and Gender, there were approximately five
thousand street children in the country by year's end. During the year there
were reports that police periodically rounded up hundreds of street children
and took them to a shelter in the Bujumbura neighbor of Kamenge
to be assisted. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child, 6 October 2000 www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/burundi2000.html [accessed 25 January
2011] [69] The Committee
is concerned at the situation of children living and working on the streets
and children living on their own and without proper housing in the hills. The
Committee is concerned, inter alia, about the poor access of such children to
health, education and other services, about reports that the number of
children living or working on the streets is continuing to increase, and
about the particular vulnerability of girls in these situations. BURUNDI: FNL rebels
'still recruiting children' UN Integrated
Regional Information Networks IRIN, Bujumbura, 9 June 2008 www.irinnews.org/report/78646/burundi-fnl-rebels-still-recruiting-children [accessed 13 April
2011] Burundi's last
active armed opposition group, the Forces nationales
de libération (FNL), has continued to recruit
children into its ranks despite recent moves to end rebellion, a senior
official said. Drumming up pride
among post-war Burundi’s street children Olalekan Ajia,
United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF, Bujumbura, Burundi, 9 April 2007 www.unicef.org/infobycountry/burundi_39331.html [accessed 13 April
2011] The war in Burundi
left behind 823,000 orphans, at least 20,000 of whom are currently living on
the streets. The Stamm Foundation, a national
non-governmental organization supported by UNICEF, provides some of these
children – including former child soldiers – with a home, education and life
skills, while promoting Burundi’s proud cultural heritage. Yves Habonimana, 25: "My legs were sore, my whole body
swollen" UN Integrated
Regional Information Networks IRIN, BUJUMBURA, 26 March 2007 www.irinnews.org/report/70934/burundi-yves-habonimana-25-my-legs-were-sore-my-whole-body-swollen [accessed 10 March
2015] "When my
mother died, I was six. I had no one else to take care of me. My father was
still alive then, but he just didn't care. I decided to leave home. I
followed other children on the streets. We would scavenge or beg for food and
sleep on cartons at the independence square or in the stadium. "Some days we
have nothing to eat. Children are then forced to steal to avoid starvation.
Just to forget the misery temporarily, I used to take drugs, alcohol or
whatever stuff that would intoxicate me and make me sleep. I have now given
that up. Information About
Street Children - Burundi [DOC] This report is taken
from “A Civil Society Forum for Francophone Africa on Promoting and
Protecting the Rights of Street Children”, 2-5 June 2004, Senegal At one time this
article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 21
September 2011] Action taken by the Government of
Burundi: ·
Established two vocational training centers for street
children ·
Developed a National Plan of Action for the training
and reinsertion of street children ·
Established an inter-ministerial committee specially responsible
for facilitating the reinsertion / reunification of street children Past
Programs: Econ. Dev. [access information
unavailable] BURUNDI - Five years of
civil war and two years of economic sanctions have resulted in extreme living
conditions, low food supplies, economic recession, unemployment, an increase
in infant mortality rates, and a decrease in school attendance. New Call For Free
Child Education UN Integrated
Regional Information Networks IRIN, Bujumbura, 1 July 2005 www.irinnews.org/report/55221/burundi-new-call-for-free-child-education [accessed 10 March
2015011] 38 % of Burundian
children attend schools, according to UNICEF.
Many parents cannot afford to pay the fees at public school, plus
uniforms, books and equipment. A
survey carried out in 2003 reported that 640,000 children in Burundi had been
forced to work. Burundi - Africa
Children's Day 16 June Focus on Street Children UN Integrated
Regional Information Networks IRIN, Burundi, June 15, 2004 www.cyc-net.org/features/ft-burundistreetsl.html [accessed 13 April
2011] Ndikumana said such
organizations failed to provide the requisite care because they did not
bother to tackle the root causes of the street-child phenomenon. As a possible corrective measure, he said,
these organizations should encourage income-generating activities in rural
areas. NGO
Launches Center for Vulnerable Children UN Integrated
Regional Information Networks IRIN PlusNews,
Bujumbura, February 1, 2005 www.aegis.com/news/irin/2005/IR050207.html [accessed 13 April
2011] www.maisonshalom.org/en [accessed 24
November 2016] Amani House is a
branch of Maison Shalom. It houses orphans and street children who
have been wandering in Bujumbura, and even those from the countryside. Approximately 60% of Burundian children of
school-going age were illiterate while 5,000 others were street
children. Some 7,000 children were
child soldiers and 230,000 were HIV/AIDS orphans. Protecting
the Vulnerable Rupert Cook,
Deutsche Welle DW-WORLD.DE, 01.09.2007 www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1105354,00.html [accessed 13 April
2011] GETTING CHILDREN OFF
THE STREETS
- For hundreds of thousands of children, safe houses such as those provided
by Maison Shalom remain a far-off dream. For many, their only home is the streets of
Burundi’s towns and cities. There, life remains a desperate struggle to
survive. Watchlist Country Report on
Burundi Watchlist on Children and
Armed Conflict www.watchlist.org/reports/files/burundi.report.php [accessed 13 April
2011] STREET AND
UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN
- Orphaned and separated children are exposed to a range of abuses and rights
violations, including police violence, arbitrary arrest, and general
insecurity. They often live in abysmal conditions, sleeping outdoors, begging
on the streets, and suffering from malnutrition and violence. Some
unaccompanied and separated children may be victims of abuse and exploitation
at the hands of their foster families, even extended family members.
Those living in orphanages frequently face even more severe problems. Enrolling
Street Children In School - Burundi 2004-09-27 portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=34553&URL_DO=DO_PRINTPAGE&URL_SECTION=201.html [accessed 13 April
2011] 1500 street
children around the country were enrolled in primary schools, thanks to the
UNESCO program “Education for Street Children”. Humanitarian
Activities UN Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Burundi, 26 July - 1 August 2004 At one time this
article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 21
September 2011] 3 NGO REHABILITATES
40+ STREET CHILDREN
- National NGO Oeuvre pour la protection et le developpement
des enfants en difficulte (OPDE) announced it had rehabilitated more
than 40 over-school-aged street children through a one-year
training in handicrafts. School-aged children were enrolled in the formal
education system. Children & War International
Anglican Family Network IAFN At one time this
article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 21
September 2011] Generally, children
are consumers and not producers. This is no more the case in Burundi. The
majority of children – and especially orphans – have given up schools and
found jobs to survive. Some are householders; others carry more luggage than
they weigh themselves. What they get in return is not enough to cover their
needs. The consequence is the increasing rate of child mortality, with
children doomed to malnutrition, lack of health care, and shelter. Abandoned Children [PDF] International
Anglican Family Network IAFN Newsletter, 2003 iafn.anglicancommunion.org/newsletters/2003/christmas/112.pdf [accessed 13 April
2011] [Page 5 Burundi] STREET CHILDREN: A
BIG CHALLENGE TO THE CHURCH - After a deep analysis, it was discovered that not
only were many of the children already under the charge of other children’s
associations, but also a few of them came from their own home for the ‘free
breakfast’ Some of the parents
used to be street children themselves and are sending their children on to
the streets as a source of income.
Other children are sent out when they don’t have classes, either in
the mornings or in the afternoon, so that their families can make ends meet.
For all these children, urgent action is lly needed
so that they don’t leave school and become street children. All
material used herein reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107
for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT
ARTICLES. Cite this webpage as: Patt,
Prof. Martin, "Street Children - Burundi",
http://gvnet.com/streetchildren/Burundi.htm, [accessed <date>] |
