World Vision warns of increased child abuse cases following latest spate of violence in Central Africa Republic

The recruitment of child soldiers and escalation of child sexual abuse cases is rife across the Central Africa Republic (CAR) following a new wave of violence in the past fortnight, World Vision UK has warned.   

In the past two weeks, the country experienced some of the worst levels of violence in Bangui – the capital of CAR - in over a year, leading to many charities including World Vision, to evacuate staff. 

Erica Hall, the World Vision UK’s Senior Child Rights Policy Adviser who was in the country when the fighting erupted said: “The latest upsurge of violence is taking an unimaginable toll on civilians, especially children. We have seen in CAR that boys and girls as young as eight are being recruited as soldiers or raped by armed groups with nowhere to go to escape violence. 

"The renewed fighting in the country is leaving children who have already been suffering from critical levels of child malnutrition, difficult access to education and forced recruitment by armed militias even more vulnerable. Many have been displaced from their homes time after time, and now are forced to once again flee to overcrowded camps with little food and medical supplies available,” said Hall who escaped the violence through CAR’s back roads before crossing into the Democratic Republic of Congo where she caught a flight back to the UK.    

Hall said she was deeply worried that most of the displaced children have little to eat, have been forced out of school and are terrified of the violence.

The latest figures from the United Nations indicate that over 48,000 people have been displaced inside Bangui. Before the latest bout of inter-communal violence in the country, Over 400,000 people had already been displaced from their homes. To date, 4.8 million people have been affected by the crisis, and half of those are children. 

World Vision is calling for an urgent response from the international community to provide immediate aid to those who are suffering, but most importantly, to ensure the United Nations peacekeeping force in CAR has a special focus on protecting children.

 “Failure to fully fund the current £400 million appeal for the country will further frustrate efforts to meet basic needs. With only 45% of the funds pledged, much more needs to be done to bring the country back from the brink. 

“We are asking for international donors to ensure sufficient long-term funding is available for child protection and educational programmes in the country.” Hall explained.