Southern Sudan IV

Juba’s Lost Generation, December 2006

Joseph is 13. He lives in Yei station in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. He lost his family in the tumult after his home-town of Torit fell to the Sudanese army. “My parents told me to run so I did. I never saw them again,” he says. “I had no one to look after me when I got to Juba. I tried to get work but it is hard for a vagrant child like me. One night a man in a uniform came by in a white UN car with dark writing on it. He stopped near where I was sitting and asked if I need some money. I said yes so he told me to get in the car. He took me to a place where there was no one around and abused me. When it was over, I was scared because he was very rough and angry with me. He pushed me out of the car. I asked him for money before he drove away but he didn’t give me anything.”

An investigation into the behavior of UN peacekeeping forces in southern Sudan revealed that the abuse of street children like Joseph is a widespread, and a widely known, problem within Juba. The beleaguered UN has frequently promised to fully investigate those accused of such abuse but little has been done to track down those involved in the abuses or to interview those making the accusations.

A young street boy in one of Juba's many market places. Some recount horrific stories of abuse and violence they have suffered living on the streets.
A young boy at his "patch" on a verandah in one of Juba's marketplaces. The number of children living on the streets of Juba is rapidly increasing since the war ended because many have been separated from their parents because of the war. Some are turning to prostituting themselves to UN employees to earn money and both young girls and boys are being abused in this way.
A young street boy is seen in the headlights of a passing car in a market place in Juba.
A young girl in Juba who lives on the street holds up the money she made the night before for sleeping with a UN peace keeper. (1000 Sudanese Dinar = £2.50).
A young boy stands in a doorway in a market place in Juba, with a UN car behind. Some boys, like him, sleep with UN personnel to make money in order to survive.
A young girl who lives on the streets of Juba is photographed here in a shelter she sometimes uses.
A young mother holds the hand of her new born baby. She claims the father is a UN peace keeper. She believes he has now gone back to Bangladesh where he was from. Prostitution has exploded since the arrival of the UN and other international organisations in Juba last year.
A street boy photographed in the headlights of a passing car in a marketplace where he lives in Juba.

A young street boy in one of Juba's many market places. Kate Holt.

A young boy at his "patch" on a verandah in one of Juba's marketplaces. Kate Holt.

A young street boy is seen in the headlights of a passing car in a market place in Juba. Kate Holt.

A young girl in Juba who lives on the street holds up the money she made the night before. Kate Holt.

A young boy stands in a doorway in a market place in Juba, with a UN car behind. Kate Holt.

A young girl who lives on the streets of Juba is photographed here in a shelter she sometimes uses. Kate Holt.

A young mother holds the hand of her new born baby. She claims the father is a UN peace keeper. Kate Holt.

A street boy photographed in the headlights of a passing car in a marketplace where he lives in Juba. Kate Holt.