The parties to the conflict in Sierra Leone signed a peace treaty in Lome, Togo earlier this month, but the refugees are unlikely to return until their safety can be guaranteed, said Rachael Reilly, Refugee Policy Director for Human Rights Watch. Tens of thousands of children are living in unacceptable conditions right now in the camps. Human Rights Watch identified a clear link between the lack of food security for the refugees and many of the human rights abuses documented in the report. Girls as young as twelve testified that they have no choice but to prostitute themselves with up to three men a day in order to feed themselves and, in some cases, their families. The world has taken on the challenge to protect refugees in Europe.
African children deserve no less.
Human Rights Watch also found that some refugee camps are being used as military bases for Sierra Leonean government combatants and refugee children are being used as soldiers in the Sierra Leonean conflict. These children require special attention for the trauma suffered during the war. Children account for more than half of all refugees worldwide.