The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned in recent days that fighting in the eastern Congo is placing children in an increasingly vulnerable position – traumatized by displacement, losing schooling and now at risk of sexual exploitation and being recruited to join armed groups. UNICEF correspondent Sarah Crowe spoke to allAfrica's Verna Rainers in a telephone interview from Goma, North Kivu.
How many people are currently displaced in the region and how many have received help?
The UN and its partners have located 110,000 displaced persons and that's just the tip of the iceberg. There might be three times as many people who need help, but we have not been able to access them yet because they're in various areas that are very insecure and inaccessible as a result of the fighting.
We are very concerned about children's rights and the fact that children could be re-recruited into armed forces involved in the conflict. There's a strong possibility and already some evidence coming out that children are being re-recruited.
Can you give us an indication of the ages and gender of the children being recruited?
Not really, but [usually] between 12 and 17. A couple of weeks ago we saw a boy of 13... He had been shot and caught in the crossfire. In the camps there are not that many girls, but often there are some girls.
Do you agree that this issue has not been given that much attention?
I think it has got a lot of media attention. There are [a lot of] humanitarian organisations doing an enormous amount of work... but I think that the issue in the Congo is one that is easily forgotten.
What is happening to the UN's programme to reunite children with their families?
For now, not many children are being reunited with their families and communities for fear of being re-recruited.
What can the average person do from the outside?
Well I think that the best thing to do is be informed... It's a very complex crisis in the DRC and the whole Great Lakes region... This is an issue that requires the attention and the awareness of all the neighbouring countries. We also need support for the agencies that are here, not just financially, but in helping to find a solution.
