Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: Four children died and 13 others were seriously wounded when a fire destroyed over 400 hand made homes at an IDP camp located in Mogadishu, Somalia, on 21 November 2005.
It is very difficult to get immediate help when tragedies like this happen in Somalia. Prior to this, a fire totally shattered twice the main market of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, and up to this day no governmental system is in place to protect the victims. The situation was different this time since it affected the most disadvantaged children in Somalia , those children at IDP camps, and their families. Over 330 families lost their homes during last autumn torrential rains that started in Mogadishu, Somalia. A large majority of these people were children, who were unable to cope with the cold and rains and who had no shelter. Somali child protection and development (SOCPD) provided then 45 sacks of different kinds of food rations and milk powder. SOCPD also mobilised the community to support these families and sent an appeal to the internatinal community to support these children. Some of whom were and they still are in critical condition. These children do not want the government or authority to be responsible for them. They just want international organisations and individuals to support suffering children in Somalia, particularly those affected by fire disasters. Since the civil war in Somalia broke up in 1991, the people have suffered internal displacement and violation of individual as well as collective human rights, coupled with starvation. The children at IDP camps remain extremely vulnerable groups because they lack social support system, social activities and are mostly excluded from schools, and subjected to abuse in their home from house members and no doubt from the communities at large. The parents of these children have little capacity to protect them, and they certainly have no voice. These children are usually subjected to torture, sexual violence (rape), sexual exploitation, domestic labour, child soldier, assault , murder, killing, earlier marriage, and so on. Most of the street children in Somalia are children from IDP camps, and a great majority are from minority clans in Somalia. They meet all kinds of violations and up to this day no legal system protects Somali children in general and these disadvantaged children in particular.