100.000 børn blev sendt på flugt, da oprørsstyrker i marts måned overtog kontrollen med Den Centralafrikanske Republik, siger Red Barnet. Andre alvorlige konsekvenser for børnene er sygdomme som malaria og underernæring samt seksuelt misbrug og tvangsindlemmelse i våbenføre grupper.
More than 100,000 children forced to flee their homes since the rebel takeover of the Central African Republic last March are facing sexual abuse, disease and recruitment into armed groups, says Save the Children.
The children’s charity, announcing details of its first ever emergency response in the Central African Republic, also reported concern over spiking rates of malnutrition and malaria amongst displaced populations.
“Thousands of children’s lives are at risk. Families are running out of food, and many are still hiding in the bush, afraid to return home. When they are not direct victims of violence, children have often witnessed their homes and schools being looted and their parents threatened or beaten”, said Maria Wangechi, Save the Children’s CAR Country Director.
“Moreover, healthcare workers have had to flee as hospitals and health centres have been ransacked”, Maria continues. “Children and their families need urgent humanitarian assistance. It is imperative that the international community allocates adequate resources and funding to a humanitarian crisis that in many respects has been largely ignored and that continues to escalate.”
The Central African Republic is facing a humanitarian crisis after a violent coup led to widespread looting and displacement across the country. Hospitals and health posts were ransacked as medicines, equipment and even mattresses were stolen.
Thousands have fled to the bush and children are now the most at risk. Many may have witnessed and experienced terrible things, and may be struggling to cope. Children are particularly at risk of exploitation, abuse and recruitment into armed groups.
Save the Children teams are already on the ground providing life-saving health and nutritional support to medical facilities in some of the areas worst affectedby the crisis, as well as in the capital Bangui.
As unrest continues, Save the Children has started providing psychosocial support to children through its child-friendly spaces, distributing much needed drugs and medical equipment to looted health centres, setting up mobile clinics to reach vulnerable families in remote villages and launching healthcare programmes for both new mothers and victims of sexual violence.
206.000 internt fordrevne
FNs flygtningeorganisation UNHCR anslår, at flere end 206.000 internt fordrevne er på flugt i Den Centralafrikanske Republik. Hertil kommer mindst 63.000 som er flygtet til nabolandene.
UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said his agency is very concerned about the insecurity in the Central African Republic.
“We have reports on a routine basis of human rights violations of a very serious nature. Reports of rapes, of shootings and other incidents,” he said. “The nighttime situation in Bangui itself is one in which people in some cases are telling us they simply are not sleeping at night. They prefer to keep vigilance and on watch and trying to cope by sleeping during the day. So it remains an extremely worrisome situation and the Central African Republic retains its reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous countries.”
