Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) - On the occasion of the recent Childhood Festival, Majda Suleiman, spokeswoman of the Sudanese Homeless Child Association, told the local press that the streets of Khartoum is home to about 700 thousand children. Most come from Darfur, South Kordofan and the Blue Nile. Their families have fled insecurity in these regions and have sought refuge in the Country's capital. Suleiman has accused the Sudanese authorities of neglecting children and urged to set up centers of protection for children. It also asked organizations to provide psychological, social and material aid.
Many street children are exploited by criminal gangs for begging and trafficking in human organs. The Sudanese Minister of Social Welfare said that the number of homeless children in the Country is growing rapidly, and announced that the ministry is working on an initiative to improve the dire situation in which more than 10 million Sudanese children live. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 25/02/2015)
