10.5 million people live in Burundi. 5.7 million are children, and 5.7 million of the children are under five years old.
From the day you are born you have the right to have a name and to be registered as a citizen in your country. 437,000 children are born every year in Burundi. 2 out of 10 of them are never registered. There is no documented proof that they exist!
You have the right to life. Burundi must do all it can to allow children to survive and develop. 1 out of 12 children in Burundi (31,000 every year) die before the age of 5, usually due to causes that could have been prevented.
You have the right to food, clean water, medical care, and to privacy when consulting an adult about any health problem. 6 out of 10 children in Burundi have water from improved
water sources, and 5 out of 10 have access to adequate sanitation facilities.
You have the right to a home, food and security. 2 out of 100 children in
Burundi live in extreme poverty with less than 1.90 US-dollar (3 465 Burundi Franc) a day to live on.
You have the right to go to school. Primary and secondary schools should
be free for everyone. More than 94 out of 100 children in Burundi go to school,
but many of them leave school too early. Many children do not go to school at all.
You have the right to protection against all forms of violence, including neglect,
maltreatment and abuse. Only 60 countries have forbidden all forms of corporal punishment for children. Burundi has not, and many schools still allow caning.
You have the right to be protected against both economic exploitation and
work that is hazardous to your health or which prevents you from going to school.
All work is prohibited for children under 12. Some children are forced into the worst forms of child labour, such as being debt slaves, child soldiers, or used for commercial sexual exploitation. An estimated 690,000 children aged 5-14 in Burundi have to work.
You have the right to say what you think about any issue that affects you.
The adults should listen to the child’s opinion before they make decisions,
which must always be made in the best interest of the child!