Rocketing levels of children abducted by DRC fighting groups

Thursday 3 January 2008

In the last week Save the Children aid workers have seen groups of children marching as part of militia forces, carrying weapons and bags. We're helping large numbers of boys and girls who have escaped from armed groups, and who have been forced to kill in fighting on the frontline or to act as porters, spies and sex slaves.

Violent clashes between government soldiers and rebel forces led by Laurent Nkunda began on 2 December, forcing an estimated 50,000 people to flee their homes in the first two days alone. The worst of the fighting is to the east and north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu district.

"The situation for children in eastern DRC is catastrophic. Fighters from all sides are using children as frontline fodder, raping young girls and attacking houses. More money is desperately needed to better protect these young victims. International governments must put pressure on all sides to stop fighting before another generation of Congolese children loses their childhoods to violence and fear," said Hussein Mursal, Country Director of Save the Children.

Fighting has escalated over the last few months. Ex-child soldiers have told us that they had been held captive for days in inhuman conditions, such as small holes in the ground, as punishment by militia groups or because they were kept as prisoners of war by enemy groups. Schools have been targeted as rich recruitment ground.

The conflict is preventing Save the Children from returning demobilised child soldiers to their communities, because the risk of re-recruitment is so high.

An estimated 800,000 people have been forced to flee their homes by this year's fighting, leaving many families without shelter, access to healthcare or clean water. Ill-disciplined fighters from all sides are wreaking havoc in communities, looting houses, and raping innocent children and adults. Levels of sexual violence are also rising fast, with doctors in Goma receiving record numbers of rape victims.

Save the Children is continuing to negotiate with militia leaders on all sides for the release of child soldiers, and meanwhile is providing a safe place for children under threat of re-recruitment. We're also providing counselling and tracing services so that families can be reunited with their children. In the last year we've demobilised almost 800 children from armed groups. We're also responding to the emergency by equipping and supporting health and nutrition centres, distributing emergency food supplies and vaccinating children against measles.

Save the Children is calling on:

• All armed groups immediately to release all children associated with fighting forces, and to put a stop to all on-going recruitment and re-recruitment. This must not be dependent on a ceasefire or permanent peace agreement. 
• All warring parties to adhere to humanitarian law and stop any forms of attack that impact on civilians, especially children. Commanders in particular must control their troops and ensure that attacks of sexual violence against girls, women and boys will not be tolerated. 
• All warring parties to allow humanitarian workers to get desperately-needed aid to communities without fear of attack and of being blocked.
• The British government and international donors to prioritise child protection in its humanitarian funding for DRC, particularly increasing funding for the demobilisation and reintegration of child soldiers. Current reintegration programmes are not protecting children sufficiently, as funding is too short-term. Funding for such activities should be set at a minimum of five years. 
• The British government and other financial backers of DRC to put pressure on the DRC government and neighbouring countries to uphold humanitarian law. Any breaches of humanitarian law must be fully investigated and brought to the attention of the UN Security Council.

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