The impact of war on children : child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Document type: article
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Abstract:
The project implemented by the BICE has focussed on protecting and promoting children’s rights in the Congo, since 1996 in Kinshasa and since 2002 in the western and eastern Kasai provinces. The BICE project is innovative in two respects. First, it covers not only children “associated with armed forces and groups” but also children who are victims of armed conflict, who are not the target of any government interventions and are usually ignored by the international community. Second, BICE social workers do not only attend the obligatory meetings of the National Committee of Demobilization and Reintegration, but they also send demobilised children to two transition centres (Structures d’Encadrement Transitoires - SET). They have developed a partnership with the general who commands the military in the region, under which they are able, in the company of an officer, to visit units stationed in remote bush areas, where they then identify minors who are still on active service. In this way they have been able to rescue and/or demobilise some 420 children over the past year and a half.
Authors:
Munsch, E.
Country:
Congo
Category:
Practice
End Page:
63
Serial number:
104
ISSN:
1387-9553
Journal:
Early Childhood Matters
Keywords:
children
,
conflict
,
human rights
Language:
eng
Organization:
Bernard van Leer Foundation
Year:
2005
Region:
Central Africa
Right:
© 2005 Bernard van Leer Foundation
Subject:
Humanitarian Assistance
Start Page:
60
Title:
The impact of war on children : child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo