Why some Cote d'Ivorie parents don't want their children back

For the children of Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire), life has been particularly cruel. Thousands of children remained displaced and traumatized by violence which lasted from December 2010 until May 2011. International aid organizations, and the new government are struggling to save these endangered children.

ABIDJAN, COTE D'IVORIE (Catholic Online) - Almost a year later, thousands of children are still struggling with the psychological and social after-effects of the conflict. The conflict was brought about in late 2010 when former President Laurent Gbagbo refused to leave office in favor of Alassane Outtara, who won that country's elections.

The ensuing civil conflict saw fighting in the streets and many children lost one or both of their parents. Families displaced by the violence were left homeless and children without food to eat. Many children ended up on the streets, where they became victims of further violence.

Some children have been forced to sell themselves into prostitution simply to survive. Others manage to beg or steal just enough to get by.

Many children simply became separated from their families and efforts to reunite them have only recently begun.

While the short-term issues are clear, government officials are also concerned about the long-term effects this situation will have on children. As the children grow older, without any source of stability in their lives, they are more likely to turn to violence and crime because they have been traumatized and are not socially adjusted.

As various organizations work to recover these lost children and reunite kids with their families, they must also deal with other tragic realities. In some cases, children that were separated from their families were too young to remember their family names, a reality which is making reunification nearly impossible. 

In other cases, the parents have themselves become so traumatized that they remain unable to cope with the consequences of the violence.  Some are refusing to cooperate or participate in any of the programs that are trying to help.

Even worse, some families are struggling so hard to survive that they actually do not want to reunite with her children because they cannot afford to do so. Almost half of all the adults living in Cote d'Ivorie, must subsist on less than $1.25 per day.

Meanwhile, organizations such as UNICEF are also addressing other concerns. Chief among them, has been the routine victimization of children by adults. Many children have been exploited and abused, and although the police force and justice system broke down during the post election violence, both systems are returning to normal. The new president and his government has made clear that they are concerned about children's rights, and they have promised justice for child victims.

In the meantime, thousands of children continue their daily struggle just to survive. Despite complications, the efforts have brought some success, but officials recognize as saving these "lost" children could take many more years, and they are unlikely to fully succeed.

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