The armed conflict and the critical social-economic situation
prevalent in Congo Kinshasa contributed to the dismantling of millions of
families across the country, pushing thousands of children to live in the
street. “Les enfants de la rue” in English “the street
children” is the expression used while referring to them. Degrading, but at
the same time full of meaning, this expression tells in a few words the present
situation of these children who have as father and mother “the street.”
The
street children find in the dangerous corners of streets the solace and for
some the security that they could not get inside their home. As Kellet &
Moore 2003 mentioned in their article, “homelessness may be the short-term
answer to a difficult home situation such as domestic violence.” In fact,
the story of the street children starts inside the walls of a house but within
dysfunctional families. A large percentage of these children have been abused
by family members or rejected by their parents under the pretext of being wizards (the phenomenon of child sorcerers
in Congo). The desperate financial situation of
families undermines their abilities to care for their members, and this extreme
poverty creates an environment where children are seen as a financial burden or
the cause of their precarious situation. Thousands of children have been forced
or have chosen to leave their homes to escape the prevalent violence. According
to Medecins du Monde, approximately 20,000 Congolese
children today are living in the street, left on their own (no education, no
health care, no food), and to the danger of the street (rapes, violence, drugs,
prostitution, robberies).
These children are considered homeless since they do not have a
fixed domicile anymore; however, when looking closely at their struggle, we
realize that those children put in place a survival mechanism that creates a
“home” in this unique place, which is the street. Indeed, they cluster in
different small bands that play the role of families.
They care about each
other; the older ones protect the younger ones, and they also share the product
of their illegal activities such as robberies or prostitution. They created
this system for somehow getting back the familial support that they lost and
the feeling of belonging, which are critical in the process of creating an
identity. Moreover, the street children were able to tame the street and create
a “physical
References
(All references are in French, but the videos has subtitles that can be translated in English)
Articles:
Kellett, P., & Moore, J. (2003). Routes to home: homelessness and home-making in contrasting societies. Habitat International, 27( 1), 123-141.
Videos:
Hello Emilia.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading your post "The street children in Congo Kinshasa", I couldn't help but be reminded of the 5 months I spent in Haiti from early September 1994 to late January 1995. I was a light infantry soldier in The 1/22 infantry battalion out of Fort Drum, NY. As an element of Operation Uphold and Restore Democracy, we lead the task force that provided among other things security in the capital and largest city, Port-au-Prince. So I spent a lot of time on the streets and because of my duty, paid attention to the details.
One of those details that really caught my eye were the many 'gangs' orphans. There was one gang in particular that I will never forget becuase it's leader was a charismatic little boy, who could have easily passed as an adult with dwarfism. He reminded me of the various American television programs from long ago where a little person would dress up like a child to conceal their identity and get away with things only a child could get away with.
This particular gang lived under a billboard at the trisection of three main street in Port-au-Prince. A very dangerous place not only because of the immense barrage of 24 hour traffic, but because of the exposure to the cruelness of the outside world. In Haiti, orphans routinely kidnapped and sold for slave or and worse. And if not for the fearless leader, who knows the fate of this orphan family.
This boy was something else. I mean, he could have been anything if given the opportunity. I often wonder how his life turned out. If he was able to break through to a better life. If he's a great leader. Similar to what you mentioned about the older ones taking care of the younger ones and sharing the product of their illegal activities, I saw something similar to this.
I always looked forward to the times we would pass by that billboard in a motorcade because the brave captain would jump out in front of the vehicles and demand his chocolate, or one dollar. In an unfitting raspy voice with uncharacteristic deep tone he would yell out, "Give me my one dollar" in perfect English that he undoubtedly picked from the recent invasion of American soldiers. And "Give me my chocolah". Which according to tradition, American soldiers were happy to oblige. What he did next is what really matters.
Whenever he collected his bounty, he always retreated to the safety of under the billboard and divided up his take evenly with the members of his family not brave enough to face the monsters of the trisection. And he did this with pride and tenderness.
Thinking about that boy and his noble character in the face of extreme adversity always serves as a reminder for me to be a better person. I always wonder what happened to that boy. He was a real life super hero.