The online platform for Taylor & Francis Group content

Cookies Notification

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Find out more.
Advanced and citation search

Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies: An International Interdisciplinary Journal for Research, Policy and Care

Volume 7, Issue 3, 2012

Special Issue:   Jackson Kirk Felsman Commemorative Section - Child Protection Considerations

Translator disclaimer
Estimating human rights violations in South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo: A population-based survey
Special Section

Estimating human rights violations in South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo: A population-based survey

DOI:
10.1080/17450128.2012.690574
Stephanie Alfaroab, Kathleen Myerb, Anonymous §, Ihotu Alib & Les Robertsb*

pages 201-210

Abstract

UN Resolution 1612 requires that annual tends in the rate of grave violations of children's rights be reported to the Security Council for countries of interest such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. We conducted a population-based three-staged cluster survey from May to August 2010 to measure the occurrence of military recruitment, abduction, killing and maiming, and attacks against education occurring in the population in South Kivu during 2010. In addition, key informants were interviewed with a semi-structured questionnaire to examine their ability to report any of the grave violations perpetrated in their village. The findings indicated that among the 4471 members of respondent households, abduction was the most frequently reported violation and it is estimated that 5.7% of the population (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9–7.5, design effect [DE]: 4.06) were abducted annually. It is estimated that 44,898 children (1.5%) (95% CI: 23,679–66,118, DE: 2.90) throughout South Kivu Province (excluding the cities of Bukavu and Uvira) experienced one of the four grave violations (recruitment, abduction, killing or maiming, and attacks against education) in the first 6.5 months of 2010. The majority of all violation episodes were perpetrated by government Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo soldiers. In the majority of villages where at least one household reported a member experiencing a violation, the key informants reported that no violations had occurred in their village. This survey suggests the UN's Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism was less than 1% complete in South Kivu. These results beckon population-based non-UN, nongovernmental rights monitoring systems be developed to complement the UN effort.

Keywords

Related articles

View all related articles
 

Details

  • Received: 9 Jan 2012
  • Accepted: 30 Apr 2012
  • Published online: 20 Aug 2012

Author affiliations

  • a Rebuilding Hope for Africa , Goma , North Kivu , DRC
  • b Program on Forced Migration and Health, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health , Columbia University , New York , NY , USA

Article metrics

  • Views: 90

Librarians

Taylor & Francis Group