VoiceMore in the DRC

Youth-led action against child labour in cattle herding 

The young people found very little was being done in the area to stop this form of child labour and support the children. The group created a set of recommendations for change and have conducted advocacy with local decision-makers, the International Labour Organisation and the UN to help raise awareness of the issue. The group are continuing with their advocacy action into 2022.

Hear more about the group’s work and their recommendations for change by downloading the full and summary reports.

Download the reports

The recruitment and use of children in armed groups

In 2020 War Child started supporting a group of youth living in Masisi territory, North Kivu. We asked them what issues impacting children and young people worried them the most. They said the recruitment of children and youth into armed groups in the area was the serious issue they were concerned about. Armed groups seek out vulnerable children in communities and coerce them to join. Many children and youth also join armed groups due to lack of family support, access to food or work.

The negative impacts of joining an armed group are severe for young people. Groups normally live in basic camps in the bush, with little shelter or ability to wash, food is often scarce and they cannot seek medical treatment if ill or injured. Physical, sexual and psychological abuse is common and members are often coerced or forced into committing crimes against other young people and communities. For those who manage to leave a group, their problems do not stop. They face risk of revenge from members and families and communities often shun them.

Understanding the issue 

The group decided to conduct their own research so they could find out more about what other members of the community thought about the issue and how to it could be prevented. Before starting this, the group first completed their VoiceMore research training and then worked together to decide on a research plan.

They wanted to use data collection methods that could involve lots of different people in the community and would offer opportunity to hear in-depth people’s opinions, feelings and hope for change. For this reason, they opted for interviews and focus group discussions. In total, the young people spoke to 278 people, including children, youth, parents, community leaders, civil society representatives, local authority representatives and some security personnel. War Child UK also conducted its own desk-based review of literature on child recruitment to compliment the groups research and understand findings in a more global context.

The research identified poverty, lack of job and livelihood opportunities, access to education and land to cultivate as the main driving factors to child recruitment in the area. Impacts on the community were found to be recruitment producing high levels of fear: fear of the armed groups attacking communities, of the threat of revenge from the armed groups on children who leave, and the fear communities felt of children who had exited groups. People who participated in the research emphasised the important role family could play in preventing recruitment.

Youth-led action against the recruitment of children 

Support to prevent the recruitment of children and youth in Masisi is very limited. During the research community members agreed not enough was being done. Help for children and youth who leave groups is also normally inadequate and short-term, which doesn’t help them get back on their feet.  

The young people developed a set of recommendations for local leaders, authorities, the DRC government and the international community. These include the creation of ‘transit centres’ for young people leaving, encouraging more acceptance of formally associated children in the community, greater support for girls who join and leave groups, and more holistic support packages, which include vocational training, help with finding work and being able to go to school. The recommendations also included the need to uphold better existing child protection law and legislation in the country.   

The group conducted local advocacy with chiefs and government representatives. They participated in a pod cast for Geneva Peace Week (listen here) and presented their project and recommendations to the UK Government and the Special Representative to the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict. 

Learn more about the group’s work and their recommendations for change by downloading the full and summary reports, and listen to the VoiceMore youth describing how they think reintegration programming could be improved, including what they feel children who leave armed groups need, and how to help them recover from their experiences.

Download the reports Listen to podcast 1  Listen to podcast 2