“All I want to do is be happy and live a normal life”
A survey of the experiences and hopes of 315 girls and
young women living on the streets of Kinshasa, D.R. Congo.
Sophie Hug Williams & Mafalda Marchioro
February 2010
1
Introduction:
War Child is a successful small international NGO that works to strengthen the protective environment
for some of the most marginalised children in some of the worst conflict affected countries in the world.
War Child works with children who, as a result of conflict, live with a combination of acute poverty,
exclusion and insecurity. These children include street children, child headed households, children
conscripted into armed groups, and children who have been put in prison. These children suffer the
consequences of conflict more than any other children.
When these children live with exclusion and insecurity they live without protection. When these same
children live with poverty they live without the opportunity to develop. Combined, these factors
undermine their ability to survive. War Child is, therefore, concerned with the protection and
development rights of these children and the practical needs associated with them.
War Child has been working with organisations that promote the rights of street children in Kinshasa
since 2003. We have worked with centres for street children in Kinshasa to improve their facilities and
build the capacity of the centres to find sustainable and durable solutions for these children, reunifying
them with their families where possible. Through this work, War Child has been particularly concerned
about the plight of girls living and working on the streets and the lack of specialist services to cater for
their specific needs. A survey carried out in 2006 by REJEER (Reseau des Educateurs des Enfants et
Jeunes de la Rue) found that less boys than girls are accessing services;1 and furthermore girls living on
the street are more vulnerable to abuse, violence and exploitation than boys.
In Kinshasa, children end up in the streets for various reasons. Push factors include family rejection,
abuse or neglect in the home, poverty, or accusations of witchcraft. In some cases children are drawn to
the streets by peer pressure or hope to earn a living. These children live on the margins of the society,
lacking access to basic services and resorting to the worst forms of labour such as sex work as a means of
survival.
Background
Although statistics are lacking, anecdotal evidence has suggested that the number of children living on
the streets of Kinshasa has grown each year. The most recent census of street children carried out by
REJEER estimated 13,877 children living on the street, 26% of which are girls. War Child is particularly
concerned by the vulnerability of these girls to sexual exploitation and abuse, and in August 2009 War
Child collaborated with REJEER to carry out participatory research with more than 300 girls living and
working on the streets of Kinshasa in order to learn more about their experience and design interventions
to cater for their specific needs.
Country Context
The impact of armed conflict upon children in DRC over the past two decades has been catastrophic. The
civil war which raged 1996-2002 officially ended with a peace deal in 2003, but the situation remains
volatile. Up to 5.4 million people have died since 1998 as a result of war-related violence, disease and
hunger.2 The conflict has been characterised by the widespread displacement, the use of child soldiers
and sexual violence. At the height of the conflict, there were an estimated 30,000 children associated
with armed forces and armed groups (CAFAG).3
Whilst the war still rages in the east, Kinshasa remains relatively peaceful. However, the effects of war
and economic upheaval have left a weak state, ineffective institutions and 80% of the population living
on less than $2/day.4 In 2009, DRC ranked 176/182 on the Human Development Index.5
1
Reejer’s survey indicates that approximately equal numbers of girls and boys have not spent time in centres. Given that the survey also
suggests that 26% of children on the street are girls, it is apparent that girls are unable to access support that boys are.
2 IRC; Mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo (2007)
3 Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict
http://www.un.org/children/conflict/english/sexualviolence.html (2006)
4
UNDP Human Development Index (2009)
5 ibid
2
Prolonged instability has weakened institutions, lead to corruption and ever decreasing accountability for
child protection at all levels. Before the 1970s unaccompanied children in DRC were usually brought
before a judge and reunited with their families or offered institutional care through the state system.
However, war and virtual economic collapse, as well as the swelling number of street children have left
the state unable to cater for these children. Rapid urbanisation and breakdown of the traditional African
family structure6 have also been cited as reasons for the increasing number of street children.
Contrary to popular opinion, our research has found that the majority of Kinshasa’s street children in
Kinshasa are not internally displaced by war, but most from Kinshasa itself, or destitute migrants from
urban areas close to the capital drawn here because of family breakdown, pursuit of an education and
employment. Some children are forced to leave the household due to poverty or mistreatment by their
parents or because of accusation of witchcraft. In some cases they are also drawn into the streets by peer
pressure, hoping for a better future.
Street children face everyday abuse by police, military as well as community members including beatings,
arbitrary detentions and forced labour. Street girls are particularly vulnerable to the violence and
hardship of the streets. Many are forced into sex work in order to feed themselves and their dependents
and suffer sexual abuse and exploitation by police, military, and men in the community as well as fellow
street children, often becoming pregnant and having to care for their babies. Many girls reported to have
to go through initiation rituals referred to as ‘baptism of the streets’ where they are repeatedly gangraped, beaten and tortured by other street children. The impact of this abuse Has lead girls to use drugs
such as Prozac, cannabis or cocaine as a coping strategy.
Street children in Tshangu
Kinshasa, the capital of DRC has an estimated population of 8 million people7 and capital of DRC is one of
the biggest cities in SubSaharan Africa; more than half
of the population is less than 15
years of age.8 There are around
250,000 children living on the
streets in DRC, and among them
13,877 are to be found in
Kinshasa, 26% are girls.9 Our
research focussed on Tshangu,
one of the poorest and most
populous districts of Kinshasa.
Tshangu has been traditionally
an area where refugees and
internal migrants (initially from
Angola during the 1970s) would
settle due to low land prices.
More recently Tshangu has
become an area popular with
Tshangu, one of the 4 districts of Kinshasa comprises the communes of Kimbanseke,
migrants from other parts of
Maluku, Masina. N’Djili, and N’Sele.
DRC due to the availability of
cheap accommodation.
The district was selected not only because it hosts the highest number of street children in the whole of
Kinshasa (especially in Masina and Kimbanseke10 communes) but also because of the lack of adequate
6
What Future? Street Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Human Rights Watch (2006)
US Department of State: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2823.htm
8
La rue, c’est la chance ? Enquêtes sur l’exploitation et les violences sexuelles des jeunes filles des rues de Kinshasa, Médecins du Monde
(2009)
9
Rapport Synthese du Recensement des Enfnats de la Rue de Kinshasa, REJEER (2006)
7
10
Ibid. According to the report carried out by REJEER with the support of UNICEF in 2006, more than 20% of street children come from the
communes of Masina and Kimbanseke (10,44% and 9,9% respectively).
3
support services. High numbers of street girls are drawn to the area to engage in sex work because of the
large numbers of police and soldiers, due to its proximity to military bases and the airport.
Survey Methodology
War Child teamed up with REJEER, a coalition of local street children’s organisations to carry out
interviews and focus groups with 315 girls living and working on the street in Tshangu.
The aims of the survey were to identify:
 Areas street girls congregate at night.
 What services are currently on offer and accessible for street girls
 Threats facing street girls, in particular the magnitude and frequency of sexual abuse, and who the
perpetrators are.
 Durable solutions for the girls
The girls were selected through A quota sampling method based on REJEER’s 2006 survey of Street
Children “Rapport Synthese du Recensement des Enfants de la Rue de Kinshasa ». 315 girls were
interviewed individually and in focus groups of 5 over 3 days by investigators, the majority of which were
female. Groups of investigators consisted of 3 women accompanied by a man (for security) who
conducted the interviews in strategic points such as markets, bus stops and parking lots, all of which had
been found to be hot spots for street girls hanging out and waiting for clients. Collection of data through
interviews and questionnaires was carefully planned to take place after 8.30 pm to interview girls
engaging in sex work. The findings of this survey have helped War Child target its outreach programmes
for street children in Kinshasa more strategically and design programmes that fit best with the needs of
the girls.
Demographics
Age of girls
12-18 ys old
7-11 ys old
6%
4%
90%
19-24 ys old
The majority of girls we interviewed were
“street living” as opposed to “street working”
with weak or no ties to their family of origin.11
The majority of girls interviewed were between
12 and 18 years of age (79.05%). Just over 6%
were less than 12 years old. More than half of
girls interviewed had been on the streets for
longer than a year.
When asked how they spend their days answers
included working in the market and help the
older girls (mamans), they sometimes beg or
collect food scraps, work in restaurants or they
work for the yayas (senior sex workers) by
taking care of their children.
11
UNICEF defines 3 categories of street children; Children ‘of' the street (street-living children), who sleep in public spaces, without their
families; Children ‘on' the street' (street-working children), who work on the streets during the day and return to their family home to
sleep; 'Street-family children' who live with their family on the street
4
Education
Level of Education
achieved
Number of girls
%
No education
Primary
42
179
14
56
Secondary
Vocational training
75
19
24
6
Street Girl, aged 14: “I would like to go back to
school but its too expensive”
Street Girl, aged 15: “I don’t want to study but I’d
like to run my own business”
70% of the girls have not completed primary
education or have never been to school whereas
24% have attended secondary school or at least
Total
315
100 completed primary school. The main reasons
included high cost of school fees and associated school materials.
Results show that more than half of the girls still have one
or both parents.
More than 70% of the girls interviewed were born in
Kinshasa, and the rest came from neighbouring Bas Congo,
Bandundu and Equateur provinces. In fact when asked for
their commune of origin, most were found to come from
Tshangu itself, or neighbouring districts and many still
maintained sporadic contact with their families.
Are parents still alive?
Both parents alive
Number of girls
90
%
29
Both parents deceased
118
37
One parent deceased
Total
107
315
34
100
Causes of ending up on the streets
Street Girl, aged 15: “My Mother died and my Dad lives in Mbuji Mayi and my Aunt accused me of being a
witch”
Street Girl, aged 15: “No one chased me, I have decided to live by myself, become independent and make
money.
Of the girls interviewed, unsurprisingly it was most commonly push factors from home that drove them
to the streets; from their statements it emerged that in most cases it is a combination of causes that lead
girls to be in the streets. 65% had been mistreated or abused by parents, 44% left because of poverty and
for 41% they left after being accused of witchcraft.
These factors were also found to often be connected with the loss of one or both parents. Following the
loss of a mother, it is common for a father to remarry, and rejection of the children by the new step
mother is common. According to the girls’ stories the departure from the family home was, in many
cases, gradual. Girls gradually started working in the streets and some of them still have contact with
their families. In this case, pull factors such as the influence of friends and the hope for a better life,
independence and more earnings also played a role.
Witchcraft
Street Girl, aged 15: “I was kicked out of home
According to our survey 41% of the girls were
forced to leave home due to abuse and
because my aunt thinks I am a witch and that I
mistreatment connected with the accusation of
am the reason why she is poor.”
witchcraft. This phenomenon is relatively new and
although accusations of sorcery existed before
colonial rule it was not directed to children but more often widows or single women. Increasingly poor
families (especially with the presence of a step mother) who were unable to provide for all their children
have used accusations of sorcery as a more “culturally acceptable” excuse for abandoning their
5
children.12 These children face stigma from their community and are forced on to the streets with
nowhere else to go.
Threats to Girls on the Streets
Our research identified three main threats to girls on the streets:
1.
Hazardous work including sex work; pregnancy and STIs
2.
Lack of access to services
3.
Rape and Sexual Violence
Livelihood options
The majority of girls reported to spend their time during the day looking for food which is scarce, 57%
reported not to be able to obtain enough food. During the day they often work as street-sellers or clean
dishes in restaurants and bars to earn a few francs or beg on the streets.
Number of Clients
per night
1 client
3 clients
6-8 clients
9% 3%
2 clients
4-5 clients
21%
Whilst girls on the street are more vulnerable they also
have better access than boys to an income, using sex for
survival. All the girls we interviewed engaged in sex work,
this was unsurprising given that the interviews were
carried out at night, and at strategic points where girls
gathered to meet clients. Our focus groups found that the
average age in which girls start engaging in sex work is
12.
35%
32%
The girls declared all to have minimum of 2 clients
per night but at least one third of the girls having
4- 5 clients per night (31,11%) and earning on
average 2000 Fc per client (2.5 USD).
Street girl, aged 15: “It is hard; you need to give a
percentage of your income to your pimp for each
client you get”.
Street girl, aged 15: “You must respect his orders
and what he tells you…if not he will chase you from
the area. He decides for you but also protect you…”
Most work alone, or in groups with other girls, 1/3 of the girls have a protector (or “pimp”) who often
abuse them and take parts of their daily income. Those who work independently often also have a
boyfriend who would protect them in case of aggression.13
More than half of the girls interviewed have been working for “senior sex workers” who have initiated
the girls to the life on the streets when they first arrived. Girls reported these seniors to often take
advantage of the girls by forcing them into sex work and taking their earnings.
The nature of their work and living environment obviously puts these girls at numerous health risks.
Sexually transmitted diseases, early and repeated pregnancies, illegal abortions and the risks associated
with it threaten the wellbeing of the girls.
12
What Future? Street Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Human Rights Watch (2006)
La rue, c’est la chance ? Enquêtes sur l’exploitation et les violences sexuelles des jeunes filles des rues de Kinshasa, Médecins du Monde
(2009)
13
6
Do you use
contraceptives?
Yes
Type of contraceptive used
Birth control pill
No
Traditional medicine
Other (quinine and vermifuge)
14%
45%
55%
52%
34%
55% of the girls interviewed affirmed that they do not regularly use contraceptives, apart from, where
possible condoms (see later). Among those who do 13.48% use the pill, 34.04% use traditional medicine and
52.48% use alternative methods such as quinine, vermifuge and antibiotics, which are not actually
contraceptives but used to treat malaria or stomach worms, and may cause miscarriage and further health
risks to the girls.
Our research confirmed that girls who have
obtained a higher level of education are more
likely to use contraceptives.
Do you use contraceptives?
Level of
education Yes
%
No
%
Total
None
15
36
27
64
42
Primary
68
38
111
62
179
Secondary
47
63
28
37
75
Vocational
11
58
8
42
19
Total
141
45
174
55
315
%
100
100
100
100
100
Street girl, aged 14: “Some clients prefer to have sex without condoms and will offer you more
money. On days that I haven’t made enough money, I accept, but police never wear condoms.
Street girl, aged 15: “Me, I am not demanding, if he offers good money I accept. I have been raped
so many times now and they were not wearing condoms, so I have probably already contracted HIV.
Street girl, aged 15: “ I usually refuse customers who won’t wear condoms, but policemen refuse
and we do not have a choice with them”
Prevention of STIs
When it comes to sexual health 25% of all the girls use female condoms and only 19% declared that they
always require their clients to use male condoms.
Girls reported that clients (and especially policemen) often refuse to wear a condom, thus increasing the
risk of spreading STIs and HIV. A total of 45% girls admitted to accepting clients without protection with
36% of those asking to be paid more for the risk they are taking. However, 55% reported to refuse to
have sex without condom. One third of girls have undergone voluntary HIV testing at least once.
Pregnancy
Have you ever been
pregnant?
Yes
No
Total
Number of
girls
133
182
315
%
42
58
100
Have you had an
abortion?
Yes
No
Total
Number of
girls
86
47
133
%
65
35
100
42% of the girls have already been pregnant at least once and, although illegal in DRC, the majority (65%)
have terminated their pregnancies through abortion. 19% of the girls who have given birth have their
7
babies living with them on the street with them, almost half have given them to their families to care for;
with the remainder giving up their children into institutional care.
Access to Healthcare
The most common afflictions faced by girls are STIs, infected wounds, and chest infections. Almost half
of girls interviewed rely on self-medication (48%) than hospital and only 41% seek professional medical
advice is required. The remainder rely on traditional medicine, often due to cost constraints. Only 9% of
girls have received health support from an NGO.
Sexual Violence and Abuse
Who was the perpetrator?
Street children
Policemen/Military
Civilians
Have you ever been
the victim of rape?
59.12
Yes
No
27.62
10.5
43%
57%
Category 1
Street girls are victim of everyday sexual violence and
Street girl, aged 15: “Rape and drugs, that’s
abuse by older men, police and other street children. A total
normal life on the streets”
of 57% have admitted to have been raped and their answers
Street girl, aged 15: All girls have been raped on
enabled us to create a clearer picture of who are the
the street
perpetrators of violence. 59.02% of the girls who had been
victims of rape said that their attackers were street boys, and
27.62% reported to have been abused by military or policemen. The remaining abuses are committed by
men, often clients of the girls who beat them and refuse to pay.
During their time on the street, only 22% have received medical attention following rape or abuse and
15% have received psychological support. In fact most girls resort to daily consumption of drugs
(cannabis and Prozac) to forget their sufferings.14 Due to lack of faith in the justice system, and the fact
that a substantial proportion of perpetrators of sexual abuse and violence are police, only 9% of girls
reported these crimes.
Sexual violence, abuse and exploitation that all the girls interviewed have been victims of leaves indelible
scars, support services in terms of psychosocial, medical and legal support are wholly inadequate with
only 57% of girls reporting that they had received some sort of support from the state, or NGOs.
7 girls out of 10 girls interviewed reported to
Street girl, aged 15: “On the first day I started living in
have gone through an initiation to street life, sothe streets I was raped by a group of boys, there were so
called “Baptism of the streets.” The ritual
many of them, I don’t remember how many they were…
consists of gang rapes by other street children
afterwards they force you to take pills and drugs…”
and other men. Girls reported to be forced to
take drugs and marked with razor blades and hot
plastic bags melted onto their skin. This ritual can last weeks and the more the girl protests, the longer
the initiation continues.
Access to Justice
14
La rue, c’est la chance ? Enquêtes sur l’exploitation et les violences sexuelles des jeunes filles des rues de Kinshasa, Médecins du Monde
(2009)
8
Street girls are also often arrested by the police during raids or for petty crimes. 58% of girls report that
they have been arrested at least once. They often have to endure mistreatment and abuse while they are
detained and have none or limited access to legal aid. In most cases they are not referred to Court with
only 8.79 % that actually end up facing a judge.
Recommendations for Action
Street girl, aged 14: “I’ve never seen any NGO staff, we’re on our own on the street”.
Street girl, aged 15: “I’ve heard NGOs are supposed to be doing things to help children, but we’ve
never got anything from them”
Although life in the street is hard still 35 % of the girls interviewed expressed a wish to continue living on
the streets, often due to fear of family rejection, or belief that the reasons for which they initially left
their families still persist. Due to harsh living conditions, children develop coping mechanisms on the
street and have very strong social ties; fear of losing their companions who may have become a
substitute family.
War Child’s experience and research carried out in 2007 in order to better understand factors that would
support children’s reintegration have highlighted that reintegration is often a very delicate process that
can take months of careful mediation. Girls may be more difficult than boys to reintegrate because of the
stigma attached with sex work, particularly when they may have children themselves.
Questioned on which types of services they would like to see offered, the girls answered:
•
Professional training (hairdressing, sewing etc.)
•
Food
•
Healthcare
•
Microcredit
•
Protection on the street
•
Distribution of male and female condoms
•
Sensitization on STIs like HIV
•
Night refuges
•
The installation of water and sanitation services
throughout the area
Street girl, aged 15: “What I would hope to do is
earning money without having to engage in
prostitution”.
Street girl, aged 15: “All I want to do is be happy
and live a normal life”
There is an evident need immediate health and psychosocial care to heal the physical and psychological
wounds of rape and physical aggression for girls whilst they are on the streets, as well as durable
solutions for girls such as family reunification where possible.
But medical support and counselling after the abuse has been committed are not enough. There is an
urgent need to tackle the impunity that exists within the justice system that prevents these abuses
getting reported in the first place; and prevents action on those abuses that are reported.
In 2009, the DRC introduced a new law on child protection “Loi no 001/2009 du 10 Janvier 2009” yet few
people know about the law, and the government lacks capacity and resources to implement it. The very
actors that have the duty to protect vulnerable children, are often the worst perpetrators. The
International Community need to commit resources to assist the DRC government to implement this law
and uphold children’s rights enshrined in the law, in particular the protection of vulnerable street girls.
Street girl, aged 17: “Instead of asking us questions you should be
coming to help us!”
9