Rwanda: Youth Still Suffer from Genocide, War
Rwandan children still suffer the devastating consequences of the 1994 genocide and the war that preceded and followed it, Human Rights Watch says in a 80-page report, “Lasting Wounds: Consequences of Genocide and War for Rwanda’s Children”. In the report, Human Rights Watch documents the widespread abuse and exploitation of children in 1994 and since. In the violence nine years ago, hundreds of thousands of children were killed and maimed, physically and psychologically. Hundreds of thousands of children were orphaned and many now try to cope on their own. Families all over the country have opened their homes to needy children but, themselves living in poverty, they have not always respected foster children’s rights.
Embargoed for Release:
Thursday, April 3, 2003
At 00:01 GMT
(For Thursday’s newspapers)
Rwanda: Youth Still Suffer from Genocide, War
(New York, April 3, 2003) — Rwandan children still suffer the
devastating consequences of the 1994 genocide and the war that preceded
and followed it, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
In the 80-page report, “Lasting Wounds: Consequences of Genocide and War
for Rwanda’s Children,” Human Rights Watch documents the widespread
abuse and exploitation of children in 1994 and since.
In the violence nine years ago, hundreds of thousands of children were
killed and maimed, physically and psychologically. Hundreds of thousands
of children were orphaned and many now try to cope on their own.
Families all over the country have opened their homes to needy children
but, themselves living in poverty, they have not always respected foster
children’s rights.
Some children are exploited as domestic servants in exchange for some
food and a place to sleep. Thousands have fled to city streets, only to
find themselves harassed and arrested by law enforcement officials.
“The Rwandan government has repeatedly promised to remedy the human
rights problems that many children still suffer, but words are not
enough,” said Sara Rakita, author of the report. “These children have
already suffered terribly, and they need protection from further abuse.”
“Lasting Wounds” documents the trauma that many children experienced
during the genocide, and that still affects them today. One child
recalled spending the night alone in the bush after having fled her
home. She told Human Rights Watch, “There wasn't anyone else, just
bodies, lots of bodies. I didn't know any of them, just my little
sister. I found her on a hill where she had gone to hide.”
One orphan explained that he now lacked bus fare to travel to the
government office where he could get the documents needed to obtain
government assistance for his sister’s school fees. He said, “I didn't
study. She can't study. Do you see how much that makes us suffer?”
One thirteen-year-old head of household said that when she and her
siblings fell ill they had no money to see a doctor or buy medicine.
Often sick herself, she said, “It is too big a burden for me.”
Thousands, accused of having committed genocide while they were
children, have spent six to eight years languishing in Rwanda's
overcrowded prisons. No longer children, many are finally due to be
provisionally released next month after undergoing reeducation in
“solidarity camps.” Those who maintain their innocence have been left
in prison. Rwanda recently created “gacaca” courts to deal with the
massive backlog of genocide cases, but these new jurisdictions come too
late for those who lost their adolescence in prison.
During the embargo period, the report will be available online at
http://docs.hrw.org/embargo/rwanda0403/ with the username: ‘rwanda’ and
the access-code: ‘wounds2k3’.
After the embargo period, the report will be online at
http://hrw.org/reports/2003/rwanda0403/.
For further information, please contact:
In Kigali, Sara Rakita: +250-08-64-10-19
In Brussels, Alison Des Forges: +32-2-732-2009
In London, Steve Crawshaw: +44-20-7713-2766