Save the Children protection staff are reporting an influx of unaccompanied and separated children arriving in Burundi, amongst the up to 35,000 refugees who have crossed into the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in recent weeks. Most of the new arrivals are women and children, in the biggest wave of refugees to enter the country in 25 years, according to the UN.
At least four children have also died upon arrival in Burundi due to illness, said Save the Children, with the squalid conditions in the transit camps and lack of medical supplies leaving children extremely vulnerable to disease and death.
The child rights organisation has documented 76 cases of children – 43 in the Rugombo transit centre, and 33 in the Gihanga transit centre – who have become separated from families and relatives in the chaos, with some orphaned in the violence, and others travelling alone over the border. While most these children have now been reunified with family members, there remains many who are yet to be reunified, and others yet to be identified as unaccompanied.
Unaccompanied and separated children in the transit camps in Burundi face specific and grave risks to their health and wellbeing as a result of losing the care and protection of their families, said Save the Children.
They have increased risks of abduction, trafficking, and exploitation, as well as physical violence, particularly when they are living in inappropriate, exploitative or abusive care situations, or with adults with whom they don’t share a family relationship. They also at greater risk of sexual abuse, with orphans and unaccompanied children more likely to be abused than other children because they lack parental protection and are least likely to report them to the authorities.
Save the Children is gravely concerned for these children, and is urgently calling for funds to provide food, shelter, hygiene and sanitation, protection and emergency healthcare to meet their basic needs.
Some 35,000 people have entered Burundi from DRC since the start of February, fleeing a dramatic escalation in violence, according to the UNHCR. Many of the new arrivals are children, in desperate need of food, shelter and protection.
Maggie Korde, Save the Children Country Director in Rwanda and Burundi, said:
“We have seen a major uptick in children and their families crossing the border into Burundi in recent days, with many children arriving hungry, exhausted and traumatised. All have been forced to flee for their lives. Many have witnessed violence. Some have been injured, or lost parents and loved ones.
We are particularly concerned about the children who are arriving without parents or caregivers. Any child’s separation from their families in a crisis such as this is highly distressing, and can have a long-term negative impact on their wellbeing. Children who become separated from their families and caregivers in emergencies lose their care and protection when they need it the most.
While we are making every effort to respond to this emergency, there is an urgent need for additional resources to meet growing needs. Burundi has one of the most chronically underfunded humanitarian responses on earth, and with this new influx of refugees, donors are needed more than ever to ensure we can reach the most vulnerable people.”
Save the Children has been working in Burundi since 2016 where we provide services in child protection, prevention and response of gender-based violence, health, Child right governance and education. Save the Children is working with the Government of Burundi, the UNHCR and other agencies to support newly arrived children and their families in Burundi, including registering unaccompanied and separated children. We have deployed a team to provide protection services and have distributed dignity kids and child play kits.
Save the Children has worked in DRC since 1994 to meet humanitarian needs linked to the arrival of refugees and the displacement of populations due to armed conflict in eastern provinces. Save the Children has scaled up its humanitarian response to support existing care systems, training local leaders and communities to prevent and respond to exploitation and abuse, and ensuring access to healthcare through mobile clinics. It is also helping children access basic education by building classrooms, training teachers, and distributing learning materials.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.