Children risk their lives to escape poverty in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean children as young as seven are walking alone through hostile territory to cross the South African border in a bid to escape crushing poverty at home, research by Save the Children has revealed.
Thursday 20 September 2007
These children, many of whom are recently orphaned, see South Africa as a land of opportunity where they can find work and a place at school, according to the newly published report, Children crossing borders.
Many of these children who arrive in South Africa unaccompanied have no form of identification and cannot register for help from the authorities.Only one in three children interviewed during the research for the report were in school and most were forced to work in unreliable and dangerous jobs. Some lived in squatter camps or on rubbish dumps and many were forced to beg for food.
On the boarder areas, illegal crossing has resulted in an informal system of 'guides', many of whom have been implicated in beating, robbing, or abusing the children. More than half of the children had paid a bribe to enter the country, 80 per cent of those to a 'guide' and 14 per cent said they had been assaulted while attempting to cross the border.
South African law obliges authorities to protect and care for these children, but the sheer number crossing the border from Zimbabwe and other southern African countries like Mozambique is overwhelming. Under-funded and ill-equipped communities in South Africa simply cannot cope with the influx of unaccompanied children.
"These children see South Africa as the Promised Land," said Dominic Nutt of Save the Children. "But the dangers they face travelling long distances alone and then once they reach South Africa are horrendous. They are poor, hungry, young and highly vulnerable and are easy prey for criminals or people seeking to exploit them.
"It's hard to imagine how bad the lives of these young people must be that they leave home, alone, to face such terrifying risks."
What we are doing
Save the Children is planning to build a series of shelters along the border where children can be cared for, fed and schooled in safety without fear of being forcibly returned.
What you can do
- Read the Children crossing borders report
- Make an online donation or call the donation line on 020 7012 6400.
