Festival Puts Child Protection Front and Center
Songs echoed through the gardens of the French Institute in Brazzaville at the opening of the Children’s Rights Festival on November 14. Under large canopies, students from Talangaï mingled with street-connected youth, creating murals that expressed a single demand: safety.
The coordinator reminded the crowd that this gathering precedes World Children’s Day on November 20, framing it as a local response to a global commitment. “Our city cannot thrive if even one child sleeps under a kiosk,” he told participants.
Estimates indicate that several thousand minors roam the two main cities of Congo, exposed to violence and hazardous labor. The festival’s theme – protecting street children from abuse – therefore resonated far beyond the venue’s walls.
Civil Society and Donors Join Forces
The Network of Stakeholders on the Phenomenon of Children in Breakaway Situations (REIPER) orchestrated the event with support from the French NGO Apprentis d’Auteuil and funding from the French Development Agency. This partnership embodies a praised model that combines local expertise with international funding.
Workshops brought together social workers and theater trainers to write short plays that will tour markets in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire in December. Each scenario ends by displaying the helpline number 2231, a discreet way for children or witnesses to alert the services.
The project manager at Apprentis d’Auteuil stated that this alliance goes beyond charity. “We are co-designing prevention tools with the children themselves, because they understand the codes of the street better than adults,” she explained.
Commitments from Security Services
Uniformed guests received long applause on the second morning. Representing the national gendarmerie, Commander Aurélien Ngadia stated that his force “will not relax its vigilance against violence committed against minors.” His words echoed a directive from the Ministry of the Interior calling for humane police engagement with vulnerable youth.
Observers note that positive signals from law enforcement are vital. A report cites progress, noting a decrease in arbitrary detentions since the directive was issued.
Helpline 2231 Gains Visibility
Throughout the festival, volunteers invited families to test helpline 2231, established under Congo’s 2010 Child Protection Law. Calls are free, anonymous, and routed to a screening center managed by REIPER in the Makélékélé district.
Operators receive an average of 60 alerts per week. “One ring can save a life,” the line supervisor repeated through a megaphone to a circle of primary school students juggling balloons.
Political Context and Budget Outlook
Congo’s national child protection strategy, adopted in 2023, allocates 4.3 billion CFA francs over five years to develop shelters and reintegration programs. Officials from the Ministry of Finance confirm the first tranche was released in September, prioritizing Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire.
Analysts view this allocation as modest but symbolically strong, coming as CEMAC states harmonize their social spending thresholds. Donors hope that regular national funding will reassure partners and open co-financing windows.
Street Realities Remain Daunting
A sociologist, who has tracked migrations to the streets since 2018, warns that budgets alone cannot stem the root causes. She lists family breakdown, rural poverty, and informal mining flows attracting teenagers to cities. “As long as livelihoods don’t improve in the interior, the flow of vulnerable children remains open,” she said.
However, she noted that festivals like this week’s offer rare platforms where policymakers hear unfiltered stories. “Visibility turns into a political cost if nothing changes,” she added, referencing the momentum civil society can exert.
Children Take the Mic
The festival’s most poignant moment came when 16-year-old Atouba took the stage, guitar in hand. Abandoned at age nine, he now mentors younger peers at a REIPER shelter. His ballad, titled “Mbote Mwana,” drew cheers and some tears from the audience.
In a brief exchange afterward, Atouba said he felt “seen for the first time by adults who make the laws.” Shortly after, he was surrounded by officials from the Ministry of Social Affairs discussing scholarship options. For many spectators, this encounter embodied the event’s goal.
Next Steps After the Spotlight
Organizers plan to circulate a memo of recommendations to the Prime Minister’s office before year-end, urging the integration of street child indicators into Congo’s planned 2026 digital census. They also want the helpline to extend its operating hours past midnight, when many incidents occur.
Coordinator Joseph Bikié Likibi believes momentum is on their side. “Our challenge is to turn the festival’s energy into year-round vigilance,” he said, announcing quarterly follow-up meetings between police, NGOs, and youth representatives. “The street doesn’t take holidays,” he concluded, drawing nods of agreement from partners.