Beat, Bruised, and Battered
Mary, at age 13, has seen it all. For the last decade of her life, she has experienced her homeland, Burundi, in a brutal civil war. She watched her father slowly die of AIDS and saw her widowed mother sell herself into prostitution for the survival of her family. She has only a first grade education and will probably never touch a book again. Mary fears that the rebel army will abduct her, like they did her friends. She dreads waking up every day. Her hope in life is forever shattered. Majority of children in Burundi face the exact same troubles and heartache as Mary does. The poverty, lack of education, and corrupt government leave the children of Burundi with little opportunity and self-confidence. The ongoing civil war and political unrest in Burundi has left the children of the country lonely, vulnerable, and insecure.
The decade-long civil war in Burundi started due to a hunger for power, and it then grew to a war-stricken country filled with orphans on every side of the nation. In 1962, Belgium released control of Burundi, causing an “unleashed longstanding tension” between tribal groups-the Hutus and Tutsis (“Burundi”). Belgium decided to discharge the power to the Tutsi, causing immense ethnic strain with the Hutu. Due to the tension, war broke out heavily in the country. The war destroyed villages, communities, and schools. Eventually, families were forced to survive on the streets. Living in the streets leaves women vulnerable to sexual abuse, thereby causing HIV and AIDS to spread rapidly. According to the SOS Children’s Village, “An estimated 20 percent of the country’s urban population and six per cent of the rural population are HIV positive. Infection rates in girls aged 15 to 19 are four times greater than boys of the same age” (“Burundi; war”). The issue of HIV and AIDS in Burundi is leaving children parentless. Without parental guidance, children lack a sense of love and comfort in their lives. Larcher writes in her diary, “The war in Burundi left behind 823,000 orphans, at least 20,000 of whom are currently living on the streets.” The lack of parenting will leave children with no protection. Children are abandoned at a remarkably young age, and are left to survive alone in a battle zone they call home.
In a fight to survive, women and children are forced into prostitution. Due to “abandonment and destruction of traditional community support systems,” children choose sex trafficking to support themselves (Armed Violence). According to Country Reports Human Rights Practices, “ Large populations of children have been orphaned by violence and forced into prostitution in order to feed themselves” (Country Reports). Girls who sell their bodies to strange men will have a distorted image of marriage forever. Sex trafficking distorts young girl’s view on marriage and destroys the chances of them maintain a healthy relationship with men. In addition to girls, widows also are shoved into prostitution. Burundian law bans widows from inheriting any portion of property that belonged to their husband. The property is immediately given to the male’s family. Women are not respected appropriately in Burundian culture. They are degraded and are left to fend for themselves. The Humanitarian Exchange magazine points out, “Under the weight of shame and destitution, widows flee with their children and turn to prostitution for survival” (Armed violence). The unequal and prejudice laws against women in Burundi leave widows susceptible to the inhumane act of prostitution. The emotional toll and embarrassment a widow has to deal will haunt him or her for a lifetime.
Besides the heartache faced in the home, children fear abduction by rebel groups. The government instructs rebel groups to kidnap children to join the armed forces. The Humanitarian Exchange Magazine reports, “An estimated 7,000 children have been used as soldiers during the war in Burundi.” The youth of Burundi are not only being stripped from their family, friends, and home lifestyle, but they are brutally forced to participate in a vicious civil war. The government has scared Burundians into submission through their use of child soldiers. Hutu, Ahmed Brown says, “Youths came with guns and took everything. I am so afraid. We have seen too many people gunned down” (Nelan). The sight of children attacking the places they once called home disturbs Burundians deeply. While being brainwashed into submission, children lose all hope of ever obtaining a normal childhood again. Lastly, the Tutsi government has taken hostage a multitude of young people. The National Catholic Reporter states, “Approximately 160 Burundian children under the age of 18 years are held as prisoners of war” (Larcher). Innocent children have been born into a world of destruction, where they are victims of circumstances. Suffering is an emotion in which they have become extremely accustomed to. A child in Burundi will rarely have an opportunity to take part in the simple joys in life.
Finally, education in Burundian culture is far from essential. During the war, the Tutsi rebel group destroyed almost all resources for primary and secondary education. The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices mentions, “More than a quarter of primary schools have been destroyed in war.” The mass fighting and killing has ruined the changes of young Burundians to educate themselves. In addition to the demolishing of school buildings, the rebel armies have taken the lives of teachers. The Country Reports on Human Rights continues to say, “Teachers have been killed, and it is very difficult to find qualified teachers to work in providences affected by the war” (Country Reports). The onset of the war and violence of rebel groups is making it nearly impossible for children to better themselves through education. Rebel groups have intelligently seized education by targeting the school systems through killings and abductions of teachers and students. The lack of facilities and educators made the illiteracy rate in Burundi rise increasingly. The Country Reports on Human Rights discusses the challenge of attendance in Burundian schools and says, “In 1999 less than 9 percent of children aged 13-19 attended school. Attendance rates are lower for girls than boys. Only 44 percent of primary school students are girls and 30 percent of secondary schools are girls. Therefore, female illiteracy is a problem; only 22 percent of women are literate compared to 46 of men.” Stripping the children of education will harm the children, but it will also hurt the country. The future of Burundi will face a harsh reality when less than 20 percent of the female population cannot read or write. Lastly, the rebels began to target the strongest Hutu students in order to make their tribes as weak as possible. A study conducts statistics on Burundian school districts and says, “At one school, 140 Hutu boys and girls were hacked or shot to death by soldiers. Targets of the Tutsi government are Hutu’s elite, meaning anyone who can write or afford a corrugated iron roof instead of a thatched one” (Double Genocide).The conniving Burundi government is dehumanizing and separating the government into two largely fragmented parts. For restored hope in Burundi, the government needs to implement education for all of their citizens.
My deepest condolences and empathy go out to the children in Burundi. Coming from a home that lacks stability myself, I can only imagine a fraction of what girls like Mary experience daily in Burundi. I, too, never had a relationship with my parents during childhood, and I also lost a guardian as a young teenager. My father’s alcoholism combined with my mother’s drug addiction often made our home extremely unpleasant. I would be the first to say that growing up without the loving guidance of a parent can be mentally tough on a child. These children have endured everything from brutal war to abandonment to prostitution. They are denied an education and fundamental rights. They have no stable government, mom or dad, or guardian to protect them. The children are on their own. An ongoing suffering is happening in Burundi. Injustices are being placed upon innocent children every day in Burundi. No child deserves to suffer from any of the hardships that go on in the life of a Burundian child. Hopefully, America will put aside it’s selfish desires and decided to make a difference in the life of an African child in desperate need of help.
Works Cited
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09 Nov 2010.
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Rights Practices for 1999. 25 Feb 2000: n.p. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 07 Nov
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“Double Genocide. (The World; BURUNDI).” Time. 26 Jun 1972: 47. Opposing Viewpoints
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Larcher, Laurent. “Burundi Diary.” National Catholic Reporter. 22 Feb 2002: 9-11. SIRS
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