The phenomenon of street children
By Eve MALONGA | LNC Translated into English by Susan CARTER JONES l LNC
(Bangui, 3 May 2026 – LNC) The phenomenon of street children is not unique to India, but is also widespread in Bangui, where they are flooding the streets in ever-increasing numbers, whilst the authorities look the other way: yet these street children face an alarming reality that jeopardises their well-being and raises numerous questions about their safety, health and future. In Bangui, in the Benz-VI district, opposite the snack bar commonly known as ‘Le 16’, the scene is distressing. A group of children aged between 7 and 17 are sleeping on the ground, without mosquito nets, exposed to mosquitoes and the elements. These children survive thanks to the generosity of passers-by and food scraps. Here, their daily lives swing between moments of distress and moments of solidarity. At 1 pm, some, with dishevelled hair, play cards to forget, for a while, their reality. Jephté, nicknamed ‘Artiste’, explains: ‘I’ve been living on the streets for a long time because, after my parents died, I have no one to support me and I’ve been rejected by my family.’ . After a year on the streets, Divine Nativa Wanzo, a teenager of around thirteen, admits, looking down, that she no longer envisages an immediate return to her family home: “I feel much better on the streets than at home. There, I’m not free and I’m not treated the way I’d like to be. That’s why I decided to come here.”, Faced with this In light of this worrying situation, Donald Nzi Adoum, National Executive Director of the Centre for the Promotion and Defence of Children’s Rights (CPDE), has called on the authorities. He is urging the government to implement effective public policies to ensure a better future for these street children. And yet, every 12 April, the world marks International Day of Children Living on the Streets to highlight the challenges they face on a daily basis and call for a massive mobilisation on their behalf. And in the Central African Republic, Article 41, paragraph 3, of the Constitution of 30 August 2023 stipulates that every child has the right to protection from their family, society and the public authorities. That is the theory, but the children of Benz-VI remain unprotected.
LNC
Date: 3 May 2026
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