Minister: Education gaps fuel child soldier recruitment in DRC
Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are being forced into armed groups as a result of poverty and a lack of access to education, the country’s human rights minister has said.
According to Chantal Chambu Mwavita these are usually vulnerable street children.
“It is our children who are recruited by armed groups. Child soldiers are often children who are on the streets and who wander everywhere because they can’t afford to go to school,” she said.
To tackle the problem, the DRC government has introduced free schooling for all children. Mwavita stressed that providing education is key to reducing the number of children who fall prey to armed groups.
“The Congolese government has opened the door to giving free schooling so that all these children can have access to school,” Mwavita said. She also urged the international community to intervene and bring a resolution to the war.
The ongoing conflict in the DRC has left millions displaced and has worsened the humanitarian crisis. According to Human Rights Watch, armed groups continue to recruit children, disrupt aid, and commit abuses in areas such as Goma. Efforts to stop these practices are complicated by ongoing violence and instability.
