Child labour and exploitation in cattle herding

In 2019 War Child started working with two groups of young people living in remote areas near Rutshuru, North Kivu, an area close to the border with Uganda. We asked them what issue they felt was harming children in their community the most. Both groups agreed that children working in cattle herding were suffering from neglect, exploitation and abuse. 

The groups were concerned about the long hours children work in difficult conditions, often for no pay other than some of the milk from the cows. Cow herding requires working in remote areas without any adult supervision, which leaves children exposed to other forms of violent abuse. The groups also felt this form of child labour in agriculture was having wider impacts by causing conflict in their community.  

The group said poverty, inadequate school structures and difficult conditions limiting access to education and lack of training structures for young people were contributing to the problem.