GUINEA

Forgotten Children of War: Sierra Leonean Refugee Children in Guinea
Sierra Leonean refugee children in Guinea are among the most vulnerable children in  the world. They have lived through an extremely brutal war-most have witnessed or  suffered unspeakable atrocities including widespread killing, mutilation, and sexual  abuse. The human rights abuses that drove these children into flight are only the first  chapter of hardship for many Sierra Leoneans affected by the crisis. Even after  traveling across an international border to seek refuge in Guinea, they remain  vulnerable to hazardous labor exploitation, physical abuse, denial of education, sexual  violence and exploitation, cross-border attacks, militarization of refugee camps, and  recruitment as child soldiers. Human Rights Watch visited Guinea in February and  March 1999. In the refugee camps, they interviewed dozens of refugee teachers,  social workers, and other community leaders as well as forty-nine refugee children:  thirty-three girls and sixteen boys ranging in age from six to seventeen. This report  relates the testimony of these children, whose names have been changed to protect  their privacy.
(A1105), 7/99, 55 pp., $7.00
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