Interview with UNICEF Representative Theophane Nikyema

One of the many problems the present government faced when it seized power in 1994 was what to do with the thousands of children who were orphaned by war, genocide and now AIDS. Many of these children are not in orphanages, but roam the streets in one of the poorest countries in the world. Theophane Nikyema, the representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Rwanda, on 6 June gave IRIN his views on the situation of children in the country. QUESTION: Reports on the number of street children in Rwanda vary. Some say there are 3,000, while others say there are many more. How many do you believe there are in the capital, Kigali, and other towns? ANSWER: There are no accurate figures for this, but the estimates are 7,000 street children in Rwanda, with about half of them in Kigali. Q: In the early days of the post-genocide period, it was believed that the high number of children living on the streets was mainly due to the 1994 genocide. Is this still the main reason today? A: As is the case in many other countries, the reasons for children being on the streets are many. Of course, the genocide had a huge impact on this issue, because it left thousands of orphans, but there are also HIV/AIDS orphans, and socioeconomic cases. In fact, poverty is so widespread in rural Rwanda that being on the streets is often a much better option for these children. Q: It is estimated that children head 10 percent of Rwandan households. What kind of assistance do you offer to these families, what problems are you encountering in your efforts, and when does your organisation stop assisting such families? A: The figure we use is 300,000 children living in 65,000 child-headed households. We are assisting them through NGOs, and in the future will work more with local authorities. UNICEF's assistance enables them attend school, and they take part in income generation activities, vocational training, HIV/AIDS sensitisation counselling, agricultural activities etc. UNICEF has assisted more than 30,000 orphans and other vulnerable children in recent years. The main problem is how to reach the many more children who so desperately need assistance. Q: How many children are there in Rwandan jails? What are the main reasons for their incarceration? A: There are more than 4,000 youths in prison, accused of genocide, who were between the ages 14 and 18 at the time of the alleged crime, but they are not children any more. There are also more than 100 infants living in prisons with their mothers. Q: There are no more reports about the reunification of children and their families in Rwanda. Does this mean there are no more unaccompanied Rwandan children in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC] or Tanzania? A: Reunification of UAC [unaccompanied children] is still on going in Rwanda, although in small numbers. HCR [UN High Commissioner for Refugees] and ICRC [International Committee of the Red Cross] carry out this work. UNICEF is committed to reunify groups at risk, such as child soldiers. At present, UNICEF [has] reunited 328 child soldiers in partnership with SC [Save The Children] and in collaboration with ICRC. Q. Rwanda is among countries affected by the AIDS pandemic. Is UNICEF helping in the provision of drugs aimed at reducing HIV transmission between mother and child? A. UNICEF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, started a pilot site for prevention of mother-to-child transmission [PMTCT] at the Kicukiro Health Centre in Kigali two years ago. The main aim of this was to find out whether it was feasible to implement PMTCT interventions, and what constraints such a programme faced. UNICEF initially provided AZT [azidthymidine] to HIV-positive pregnant women, beginning in the 36th week of pregnancy. Subsequently, Nevirapine was adopted as the drug of choice, following scientific evidence of its efficacy in PMTCT. A single dose of Nevirapine is given to the mother during delivery, and to the child after birth. It is now well established that PMTCT interventions are feasible in Rwanda, and now the Ministry of Health is expanding the effort to the entire country with the support of many other development partners. It is estimated that by the end of the year, an additional 25 sites will have been set up in the country by the various partners, coordinated by TRAC [Treatment and Research on AIDS Centre] in the Ministry of Health. Q. One of UNICEF's objectives is to vaccinate Rwandan children against preventable diseases. How difficult is this to achieve when diseases such as measles are affecting children in neighbouring DRC? A. The situation in DRC is one of the reasons why UNICEF is supporting vaccination campaigns in Rwanda. There hasn't been a case of wild poliovirus in Rwanda since 1993, but the movement of population between Rwanda and the DRC means that there is a danger of the virus returning. Hence, UNICEF has supported national polio vaccination campaigns over the past few years, and plans to support a further campaign in the border regions this year. Similarly, measles is now the subject of a mass vaccination campaign, which started last year and will hopefully continue this year. UNICEF also continues to support routine vaccination against these and other killer diseases. Our colleagues in the DRC are also supporting vaccination campaigns that, despite the difficulties, are quite successful. Thus, on both sides of the border, UNICEF works hard to ensure that all children are protected from these childhood diseases. [The following are the results of the] immunisation programme in 2001: 243,482 children covered by routine immunisation programme. Polio campaign: 1,330,219 children received vaccine in first round, 1,337,960 received vaccine in second round. Measles campaign: 1,124,166 children received vaccine. Q. There have been media reports about sexual violence against children, and Rwandan government officials seem concerned by the problem. How serious is this problem, and what is UNICEF doing to help solve it? A. This is becoming an increasing problem in Rwanda, and the government has started a plan to sensitise the population about it, with UNICEF's support. There is also a new law on the rights and protection of children against violence that establishes more serious punishments for crimes against children. Q. A recent study in the [southern] town of Butare shows that there is a high number of young girls practising prostitution. How many underage children, according to your estimates, practise prostitution in Rwanda, and how is UNICEF helping? A. According to an assessment conducted by the Ministry of Labour with UNICEF support, there are estimated 2,140 children practising prostitution in urban areas. The ministry asked UNICEF to support those children through a local NGO in removing them from prostitution, providing them with vocational training and revolving funds to start small businesses, school reintegration for those in school age, psychosocial support and preventive activities. Only 100 children will be supported in the pilot project.