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DRC: Sexual abuse of minors doubles in Kasai Occidental town

KINSHASA, 5 December 2008 (IRIN) - A sharp increase in the sexual abuse of children - some as young as four months old - has been recorded this year in Kananga, the main town in Kasai Occidental, according to child rights activists, who attribute the increase to local superstitions.

Reported cases of child defilement have doubled on 2007 figures, according to Crispin Mulumba, the coordinator of the Bureau international catholique pour l'enfance (BICE). At least 250 cases were recorded in 2008.

Local customs and traditions have also contributed to the prevalence of defilement cases. "Many people consult charlatans who tell them to have sexual relations with young virgin girls to solve their problems," he said.

"Even four-month old babies have been defiled," said Gisele Fuakanzo, the magistrate of the Kananga court and president of a local NGO, Reseau pour la protection des devoirs de l'enfant et de la femme. Some of the children had died of their injuries, she said.

"Many rich men resort to defiling very young people in order to retain their status. Thereafter they pay considerable sums of money to the survivor's family to buy their silence," she said.

Such cases often do not make it to the courts. It is the poor perpetrators, who do not have money to bribe parents and prosecutors, who are sentenced, she said.

It is also customary for rich perpetrators to opt to pay dowry to the survivor's family. Some families view it as a privilege for their 13- or 14 year-old girls to be married off to rich men, some of whom are very old.

This is despite the existence of laws prohibiting early and forced marriages. The penalty for forced marriage is between 10 and 20 years' imprisonment. An estimated 30 percent of those accused of sexually abusing children are either fugitives or buy their freedom. Most cases, however, are not reported, especially those involving family members.

According to Mulumba, children who have been abused are generally not accepted by their parents due to feelings of shame. They are also exposed to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancy and trauma.

Children's rights organisations in Kananga are helping to provide medical and legal services as well as psycho-social support to help the children reintegrate back into the family.

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Topics: Childrens rights, SGBV,