NEW REPORTS SHOW EXTREME AND MASSIVE VIOLENCE AGAINST GIRLS IN AFRICA

AFRICAN GIRLS ARE BORN TO A HIGH RISK AND ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE ABUSED
BY THOSE THEY TRUST MOST SAYS THE AFRICAN CHILD POLICY FORUM

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA May 10, 2006 – The African Child Policy Forum
announced today that their research shows nine out of ten girls in
East Africa are abused by the people who they are supposed to trust
most. The research tells the story of their mothers tying them up;
friends driving them into prostitution; teachers psychologically
abusing them; boyfriends forcing them to have sex; and brothers
kicking them.

One Ethiopian woman articulated the cost of violence committed by
those closest to her when she said: "I have been subjected to
different forms of violence. However, the sexual abuse committed
against me by my own father could not get out of my mind."

"The studies we conducted are not just an accumulation of facts and
figures, they are the very real stories of what these girls have
experienced," says Dr. Assefa Bequele, Executive Director of the
African Child Policy Forum. "We must speak out against violence
against children and confront attitudes that tolerate it. It is
inexcusable that one in every two girls in Ethiopia will marry before
their 18th birthday; that thousands of girls are abducted to serve as
soldiers, domestic servants and sexual slaves in Uganda. The Forum
believes girls in Africa are born to a high risk and that action must
be taken to address these issues."

The African Child Policy Forum conducted various types of research for
its Second International Policy Conference on the African Child:
Violence Against Girls in Africa on May 11 and 12, 2006. These
included surveys of girls who experienced violence; analysis of
existing literature and studies; and monographs that examine violence
against girls in the home, community and workplace.

The findings above reflect the retrospective survey carried out in
three countries – Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya – consisting of
one-on-one interviews in the field with more than 1500 randomly
selected young women between the ages of 18 and 24. The surveys
examine their lives before they reached 18 years old. The findings
show some astounding statistics about the prevalence and nature of the
problem in Africa.

In Ethiopia, every girl interviewed had experienced some form of
violence at one time or another and more than 90 per cent of girls
questioned in Uganda had experienced some form of sexual abuse.

In Kenya, 99 per cent of the girls surveyed had experienced physical
abuse, with Uganda close behind at 94.2 per cent. Ethiopia, although
at 84 per cent, had the highest rate of violent acts against girls
under five years old.

In Kenya and Ethiopia girls are primarily beaten by their mothers and
in Uganda they are beaten by their male teachers and both of their
parents. Many were beaten so severely they had to go to a clinic to
treat their health problems.

More than half of the girls reported they watched as someone they know
is being severely beaten (51.2% Ethiopia, 55.2% Kenya, 63.4% Uganda)
which is not surprising since 70 to 85 per cent of them have been
beaten themselves.

In addition to the three-country survey, The African Child Policy
Forum produced a pre-conference report called "Born to High Risk:
Violence Against Girls in Africa," which looks at the magnitude of
violence in Africa and highlights some disturbing information
collected by other organisations.

In Mali, 65.4 per cent of girls are married before they reach the age of 18.
Approximately 1000 girls aged between 14 and 24 are trafficked from
Mozambique to work as prostitutes in South Africa each year.
In Angola, up to 30,000 girls were abducted by armed forces during its
civil war.

In Nigeria, 85 per cent of girl domestic workers have been coerced
into sexual intercourse with their male employers.

"The purpose of this report is not to place blame," Dr. Assefa Bequele
says. "Rather it is a call for action from the girls themselves, whose
voices – usually so seldom heard - reverberate throughout the study."

The report concludes with several recommendations on the way forward
including: involving children as part of the solution; combating
traditional, often sexist attitudes that sanction violence, especially
violence against girls; calling on civil society to embark on a major
campaign of public awareness and education; and calling upon
governments to develop effective policies and laws against violence.

The objective of the conference is to contribute to the ongoing
international effort to effect attitudinal and policy changes toward
violence against girls, by providing a platform for like-minded
organisations to work together and initiate an Africa-wide movement
against all forms of violence. The conference will ensure that
African views and positions, especially regarding girls, are reflected
in actions and resolutions taken by the African Union and the United
Nations.

The conference is largely funded by Plan International and is being
organised in partnership with the AU, UNECA, UNICEF, UNFPA, and Save
the Children Group.

ABOUT THE AFRICAN CHILD POLICY FORUM

The African Child Policy Forum is an independent, pan-African advocacy
organisation working for the realisation of children's rights. Founded
in 2003, the Forum is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Its
mission is to contribute towards the development and implementation of
effective policies and laws to promote and protect the rights and
welfare of African children.

The Forum carries out a wide range of activities covering research,
advocacy, and policy development and dialogue. Its programmes include
The Children's Legal Protection Centre, which provides protection and
free legal support to abused children, children in high risk
situations and those in conflict with the law.

The Forum is led by an International Board of Trustees comprising
leading international child rights organisations and pre-eminent
experts on children's rights and development issues. The Chairman of
the Board is Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, African Union Special Envoy and
Chief Mediator for the Inter-Sudanese Peace Talks and Darfur and
former Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Unity.

The Forum's Executive Director is Assefa Bequele, Ph.D., member of the
African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
and former official at the United Nations.

For more information: www.africanchildform.org

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