(Adnkronos) – More than 400 children were recruited by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between January and February of this year: some were only 14 years old, while others were taken from schools and streets and exposed to an immediate risk of violence. This was denounced by Save the Children based on information collected by the Organization’s local partners involved in child protection in North and South Kivu.
Save the Children’s programs provide support to children who have escaped armed groups. In 2024, by assisting at least 220 children previously associated with them in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, they were guaranteed psychosocial and economic support to help them reintegrate into their communities. Depending on their age, some minors return to school, while others receive vocational training in sectors such as tailoring, carpentry or mechanics.
Save the Children stresses that the recruitment, use and abduction of children in armed conflicts is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and may constitute a war crime, as these practices expose them to extreme violence and cause serious long-term physical and psychological harm. Children are often recruited because they are inexpensive, easier to control and manipulate, and because they expect adults to protect them. They are usually unpaid, used to perform tasks that adults do not want to do, and may be forced to commit acts of violence or suffer violence, such as in the case of girls recruited to become ‘wives’ of soldiers.
The number of serious violations against children in eastern DRC – the organization denounces in its statement – has increased due to the escalation of violence, violations that include their recruitment or use in armed groups, killing and maiming, rape and other forms of sexual violence and kidnapping. “I was taken by force by a group of armed men while we were going to school with my friends. Then they took us into the bush to train us to handle weapons to defend the country. We were closely guarded so that no one could leave the training area,” said a 17-year-old, who received support from Save the Children.
“The situation is unacceptable and urgent action is needed to protect the children of the DRC – said Greg Ramm, Save the Children’s director in the DRC – We call on all parties to the conflict to take immediate steps to prevent and put an end to these serious violations. The international community must ensure that independent human rights observers have unrestricted access to the affected areas to conduct rigorous and child-friendly investigations and that the perpetrators of these acts are held accountable.”
In recent years, the DRC has made progress on the recruitment of minors, including the adoption of an action plan in 2012 and the establishment of a joint technical working group to coordinate its implementation. However, much work remains to be done to ensure the protection of children from all forms of violence, the organization stresses. “We urge the DRC government, the international community and all stakeholders to work together to address the root causes of these violations and ensure that children are protected,” said a partner organization for the protection of children. Save the Children began working in eastern DRC in 1994 and currently collaborates with 13 local partners, as well as international partners and government authorities, to provide health, nutrition, water, sanitation, child protection and education assistance to children and their families
