Issue overview
An estimated 1 million children died during the conflict, and the violence took a heavy toll on the psychological and social well-being of children. More than 100,000 children became orphaned or separated from their families and thousands of children were affected, maimed by landmines, or subjected to different forms of abuse and violence. Angola is renowned for being one of the most mine-infested countries in the world. Estimates of the number of landmines vary enormously, though the Angolan Government approximates some six million landmines. At a time of massive movement of populations – with millions of Angolans having returned home and seeking to start new lives – landmines endanger the very concept of peace. Linked to the end of the hostilities, the movement of people and the repatriation of Angolan refugees make children even more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Child labor is currently on the rise in Angola especially in the border provinces such as Kunene, Uige, Zaire, Lunda Sul and Lunda Norte as well as in the main urban areas. The 2001 MICS study indicated that 30% of Angolan children between 5-14 years old were involved in some sort of paid on unpaid work. Trafficking and sexual exploitation, are also the main ways in which children's rights are violated today in Angola, while the country also witnesses the phenomenon of accusation of children of witchcraft, which, in too many cases, has translated into unprecedented physical and psychological violence.
The legacy of war Special protection programmes carried out during the years of conflict, as well as a Child Protection Strategy implemented right after the ceasefire, have allowed more than 10,000 children to be reunited with their families, former child soldiers to be released from military life, reintegrated into society and supported with back-to-school and skills training, and psycho-social support to be provided for thousands of other displaced and refugee children. In 2003/4, UNICEF played a major national role advocating and working to strengthen the national framework for promotion and protection of child rights, through policy and legislative reform, while catalyzing the beginning of a process of institutional reform. And yet despite gains made to date in addressing the impact of conflict as well as post-war child rights violations, a significant number of separated children still await reunification with their families, landmines continue to kill and maim children, and support for reintegration of war-affected children into society is still in the early stages. Demining is a critical activity for Angola’s development and reconstruction, the process is slow and even the most optimistic estimates predict that it will be at least a decade before Angola is mine-free. As such it is absolutely vital to educate Angolans know about the dangers that will remain under foot. Therefore, mine risk education (MRE) is imperative.
Implementation of the CRC
View the initial report on the CRC implementation and the concluding observations made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child:
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