While 16April is the international day for the abolition of child slavery, child rights activist says the latter affects most poor families and orphans who are left to struggle on their own.
Ferdinand Simbananiye: “Both internal and external child slavery exist in Burundi”
Ferdinand Simbaruhije, Secretary General of Burundi National Federation of Child Rights Organizations (FENABEB), says there are two categories of child slavery: “External slavery is when children are sent to foreign countries and are physically or sexually abused. Internal slavery is when children remain inside the country but are exploited in different ways.”
Simbaruhije says both cases have been observed in Burundi. “There are children who are sent for instance to Arab countries to do domestic works but are sometimes sexually exploited. Even inside the country, there are also some cases where children are exploited”.
He also says children are sometimes overworked compared to their age and physical ability. The case in point is that of children who work in mine sector.
Simbananiye says most of those children are from poor families. “Orphans and children from poor families are the ones who are most often affected”.
He calls for everyone’s responsibility to fight against child slavery in Burundi. “Parents have to think twice before sending their children abroad. The administration also has to get involved in children protection”.
This children rights activist says this day should be an occasion to recall the government, children’s rights activists and parents that they are responsible for the fight against children exploitation.
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