Human Trafficking in [The Central African Republic] [other countries]Street Children in [The Central African Republic] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [The Central African Republic] [other countries] |
Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children The Central African Republic [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The former French
colony of Ubangi-Shari became the |
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in the Quick Search for Missing Children
- Select Gender, Country, and Years Missing U.S.
Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - In the capital of [891] In the weeks preceding the
2003 coup, for example, many street children were enrolled in security forces
to repel the rebellion. Provided with only a few days of training, many of
these children were killed in battle. Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports
on Human Rights Practices - 2005 CHILDREN - The government spent little
money on programs for children, and churches and NGOs had relatively few
programs for youths. Following the 2003 coup, approximately three-quarters of
the country's schools were destroyed, although UNICEF has since assisted the
government in rebuilding some primary schools in the southwest region of the
country. The failure of the education system, caused by a meager budget and
salary arrears, resulted in a shortage of teachers and an increase in the
number of street children. There were approximately 6
thousand street children
between the ages of 5 and 18 residing in the country, including 3 thousand in
SECTION 6
WORKER RIGHTS – [d]
Throughout the country, children as young as seven years old frequently
performed agricultural work, often with their parents, during the year. In
addition, children often worked as domestic workers, fishermen, and in mines
(often in dangerous conditions). An international agency reported that
children worked in the diamond fields alongside adult relatives. In Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2000 [74] The Committee is concerned at
the situation of some refugee children who are obliged to beg for food and
money on city streets. [75] Noting the State party's
considerable efforts to welcome refugees from neighboring countries, the
Committee recommends that the State party continue to assist child refugees
and their families and to maintain its cooperation with UNHCR,
making particular efforts to assist refugee children who are living or
working on the streets. Voix
du Coeur Centre provides a safe haven for Bangui’s
street children Life on the street is tough and
forces children to grow up fast. Many youths support dependents, in the
form of either siblings or younger children. Food, medical care and schooling
are difficult to obtain, if not impossible. The poverty and stigma surrounding such
children means many are turned away from schools and hospitals. Deprived of
their right to health and education, these children face future prospects
that remain bleak. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is only worsening
the country's already deep, endemic poverty. Among the population,
opportunities are rare due to the disappearance of businesses that did not
survive the last ten years of instability and fighting. There are entire
households of HIV/AIDS orphans with no assistance of any kind, because they
have been stigmatized and rejected by their extended families. There is also
a noticeable decline of people between the ages of 30 and 45, who are dying
from HIV/AIDS at an alarming rate. Poor families - including those
living with HIV/AIDS - are unable to keep their children at home and the
number of street children is rising, particularly in Bangui. One cannot walk
even a short distance in town without being asked for some change by
children. There is only one center for street children in the whole capital
city; as a result, most children are left in the streets of Bangui to the
mercy of passersby. According to one international
organization there are 5,320 orphans in Bangui alone, and recent media
reports indicate more than 3,000 children sleeping on the streets of Bangui
each night. CENTRAL AFRICAN
REPUBLIC: Teaching street children about HIV "I saw many of my friends die of AIDS - they did not know where to go for
treatment because they were street children," said Bienvenu
Samba, 25, who has spent 11 years living on the streets. "Many of them
were HIV-positive or had sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), like gonorrhoea or syphilis." The Central African Republic,
ravaged by years of civil conflict, is one of the poorest countries in the
world, and the United Nations has estimated that 10.7 percent of the
country's approximately four million inhabitants are HIV-infected. According to a 2005 survey by the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), about 3,000 children were living on
the streets of Bangui, of whom half had lost a parent and more than half were
aged between 10 and 14. UNICEF - At a
Glance - Central African Republic POVERTY
AND CONFLICT - Around
20 per cent of children die before the age of five. Only 30 to 35 per cent of girls attend
primary school. Less than 30 per cent
of children are immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases. The HIV prevalence rate is at 13.5 per
cent, the highest in the region, resulting in a rise in the number of orphans
and vulnerable children, including 6,000 street children. Building
a future for street children in the Central African Republic "I want to be teacher and
help children so that they don't end up in the street like I did," he
said. Mr. Yoongo
began living on the street when he was 14, following the death of his father.
The excitement of being free and able to decide where to go to and what to do
disappeared quickly as he faced hunger and violence. Central
African Republic Donor Update 18 May 2006 ISSUES
FOR CHILDREN - HIV
prevalence is estimated at more than 15 per cent, the highest in the Central
African region, resulting in an increasing number of orphans and vulnerable
children (OVC) affected by HIV/AIDS, including
110,000 AIDS orphans and more than 6,000 OVC living
in the streets. As a result of these conditions, the population in CAR has
lost 6 months of life expectancy every year since 1988. Consortium
for Street Children They hang around in small groups
that, despite the tribal divisions of wider society, are composed in relation
to territory rather than ethnicity or religion. They have their own jargon
and values, and can mostly be found around car wash stations, marketplaces
and other public spaces. According to a study conducted by UNICEF in 1999,
the population of street children is characterized by its youth – 43% are
less than 15 years old, and one third of these are orphans due to HIV/AIDS. Crime
& Society - Comparative
Criminology tour of the World - Central African Republic CHILDREN - Although there is no official
discrimination against children, the Government spends little money on
programs for them. Churches and NGO's have relatively few programs for youths.
The failure of the education system, caused by a meager budget and salary
arrears, has resulted in a shortage of teachers and an increase in street
children. Education is compulsory from ages 6 to 14; however, parents rarely
are prosecuted for their children's nonattendance. Excerpt from Chapter 1 of The Heartless Stone by Tom Zoellner Children drunk on glue wander the
filthy core of All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC §
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Human Trafficking in [The Central African Republic] [other countries]Street Children in [The Central African Republic] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [The Central African Republic] [other countries]