Child Protection Alert 1 - Eastern Congo

War Child is issuing this Child Protection Alert to highlight the acute and ongoing threat to the lives of children and young people due to the current humanitarian crisis in North Kivu.

Where:
Spontaneous camps for the Internally Displaced, north of Goma town.

Who:
Over 275,000 children affected - and an estimated 26,500 children (including those unaccompanied) without the means
for survival and protection in spontaneous camps.

When:
Immediate and urgent action needed for the rainy season.

What:
Food, water, shelter, medical services and Child Protection mechanisms are urgently needed in the camps:
- Donors must ensure the crisis response is fast and efficient by providing urgent funding to the humanitarian appeal.
- Vulnerable children must be identified and registered in order that they can receive life-saving aid.
- Sufficient trained UN staff and police must be deployed to the spontaneous camps to help prevent acute Child Protection risks.
- Close monitoring of needs and long term planning for reintegration services must be prioritised.