State of Neglect: CAR’s displaced children need better protection and assistance as insecurity continues

Nov 28th, 2008 by HDPT CAR

Internally displaced children in<br />
Kambakota, northern Central African Republic
IDMC 2008

Internally displaced children in the Central African Republic (CAR) face severe protection problems from ongoing insecurity and violence, according to a report released today by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). The report State of Neglect: Displaced Children in the Central African Republic describes the human rights abuses suffered by displaced children in four areas of displacement in the north of the country, and provides policy recommendations for improving their protection and care.

“Despite ceasefire agreements, the sustainability of the peace process in CAR remains uncertain”, said NRC Secretary General Elisabeth Rasmusson. “The security of most people in the north has hardly improved in the last year, and violent attacks by organised groups of road bandits have continued to displace entire communities.”

Children under 18 account for almost 50 per cent of all internally displaced people (IDPs) in CAR, but the government and the international community have not done enough to protect and assist them. There is no policy or legal framework to protect displaced children, and there are almost no state security or social services in northern areas. International humanitarian organisations have not focused on displaced children’s needs, and child-mandated organisations should urgently increase their presence in areas of displacement.

“Development and humanitarian funds must be used to give displaced children in CAR an opportunity to rebuild their lives after the devastating effects of violence and neglect”, said Rasmusson.

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