Five years of camp captivity for Darfur's children

Thousands of children have spent the last five years of their lives living under the shadow of terror, violence and abuse in the Darfur region.

Friday 29 February 2008

Many will be celebrating their fifth birthdays without ever having been able to step outside the camps where they are sheltering from the violence.

On the fifth anniversary of the start of the conflict in Darfur, hundreds of thousands of children are still bearing the brunt of the suffering. Children living inside and outside the camps have witnessed horrific acts of violence against family members or suffered violence themselves. Many are extremely frightened and traumatised by their experiences, and may suffer long-term psychological effects.

"Instead of playing and learning, thousands of children in Darfur have spent the first five years of their lives trying to cope with the trauma of what they have experienced", Jasmine Whitbread, chief executive of Save the Children UK, said. "Many have seen parents or siblings killed or been attacked or exploited themselves."

While the massive emergency response keeping children alive is vital, a camp is no place for a child to grow up. The loss of education has been one of the biggest blows for Darfur's children. 200,000 children come of school age every year in West Darfur, yet many are out of school. Without education they can have little hope for the future."

There is very little protection for children living outside the camps, with evidence that the warring rebel factions are targeting children to fight, particularly boys aged 16 and 17.

 "Children are being targeted to fight as child soldiers, and if the conflict continues, more and more may be forced onto the frontline to act as fodder for the armed groups", Whitbread continued:

"Boredom and feelings of helplessness among children in the camps are also growing problems. We have seen youth groups in some camps who seem to be starting to behave in a gang-like manner, which could well lead to increased violence in the camps, and make the children further targets for warring factions and bandits."

As fighting continues in both Darfur and neighbouring Chad, children in both countries are still being forced to flee their homes, and are at risk of being separated from their families and becoming the victims of physical and sexual abuse. This month, an estimated 57,000 civilians have been displaced by fighting in west Darfur and at least 10,000 people are reported to have fled across the border into Chad.

The humanitarian aid effort in Darfur led by organisations such as Save the Children has helped protect thousands of children from the worst effects of the violence. However it is increasingly difficult for aid agencies to work in the region due to widespread banditry, fighting and restrictions.

"Save the Children is the largest aid organisation operating in West Darfur, delivering food, water and sanitation, healthcare, education and child protection programmes to over half a million people", Whitbread said.

"However, working conditions are extremely difficult and we desperately need better access to reach populations in need. It is impossible to travel by road and many areas in Darfur are entirely inaccessible. This week a Save the Children vehicle, acting as an ambulance, was high-jacked and is yet to be found. The only way to move staff and equipment around is by helicopters, which are expensive and can only fly to limited areas", she continued.

"This conflict is destroying the lives of Darfur's children. World leaders need to come together now to put pressure on all warring parties to negotiate an urgent ceasefire. Sudan's youngest generation needs the chance of a stable future."


 

Save the Children UK is calling on:


 

  • All parties to urgently negotiate a meaningful ceasefire and begin talks on a permanent peace agreement. This also means pushing for a peace deal in Chad, whose conflict is intrinsically connected to the war in Darfur.
  • All parties involved in the conflict to ensure that hall populations in need have access to humanitarian assistance.
  • All fighting parties to immediately release any children they have within their ranks, and for commanders to ensure no more children are recruited.
  • The British government and other international donors to give more money to fund education programmes in the camps.
     

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For more information please contact the media unit on:
+44 207 012 6841 / +44 7831 650 409 (out of hours) / media@savethechildren.org.uk

Notes to Editors


 

  • Save the Children is the world's independent children's charity. We're outraged that millions of children are still denied proper healthcare, food, education and protection. We're working flat out to get every child their rights and we're determined to make further, faster changes. How many? How fast? It’s up to you.
  • For more information about Save the Children, please visit the website: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/