Child rights advocates and Burundi’s human rights commission say they concerns over the continued presence of thousands of street children, despite government efforts to remove them from the streets and reintegrate them into society.
Education Pour Tous–Bafashe Bige, a Burundian civil society coalition that advocates for children’s right to education, says it is increasingly concerned by the growing number of street children, particularly in Burundi’s commercial capital, Bujumbura..
“The issue of street children is alarming and has become a reality that appears to have been normalized,” said Jean Samandari, president of the coalition.
“The situation is worrying today and deserves special attention from all concerned stakeholders,” he added.
According to the coalition, children living on the streets are exposed to numerous risks, including physical violence, exploitation, delinquency, drug abuse, disease, and school dropout.
The organization attributes the phenomenon to several factors, including poverty, family conflicts, the loss of parents, displacement caused by crises, and limited access to basic social services.
“This is a serious issue that requires a collective response,” Samandari said.
Although the coalition did not provide updated figures, Burundian authorities estimated in November 2025 that nearly 7,000 children were living on the streets.
Questions Over Government Program
In 2023, the Burundian government launched a program to remove all street children and transfer them to the Munzenze rehabilitation center in the former province of Cankuzo, now part of Buhumuza Province.
However, the National Independent Human Rights Commission (CNIDH) has criticized the initiative, arguing that it was poorly planned.
“The government had initiated a program aimed at returning these children to their provinces, but to everyone’s surprise, many of them quickly returned to the streets of Bujumbura,” CNIDH Chairperson Martin Blaise Nyaboho said during events marking African Children’s Day earlier this week.
“Perhaps they had not been adequately prepared for reintegration into their families,” he added.
Nyaboho also questioned the rationale behind transferring children to the distant Munzenze center.
“If these children are taken all the way to Cankuzo, they may wonder why they are being deprived of certain rights. It would be better to place them in a center or return them to their families after proper preparation,” he suggested.
Expressing concern over the long-term implications of the phenomenon, Nyaboho warned that the growing number of street children could become a security challenge.
“I am not happy with the continued presence of street children because, as they grow older, they increasingly pose a threat to security. Some have even started having children while still living on the streets,” he said.
The CNIDH chairperson said the commission plans to consult the government to ensure that the Munzenze center is equipped with services that genuinely benefit the children housed there.
President Calls for Religious Leaders’ Support
Meanwhile, Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye has called on religious leaders across the country to help tackle the problem.
“I want us to work together to remove all children from the streets,” Ndayishimiye said during a meeting with leaders of various religious denominations earlier this month.
He urged church leaders to coordinate efforts at parish and branch levels so that Burundi could eventually achieve a society with “zero people living on the streets.”
“We can build a center, pay those who can teach children removed from the streets, and prevent others from ending up there,” he said.
Repeated Efforts, Limited Results
The latest appeal comes amid concerns that previous strategies aimed at removing street children have failed to produce lasting results.
In June 2025, the government accused parents of neglecting their parental responsibilities and warned that strict measures would be taken against those whose children ended up on the streets.
Despite these efforts, child rights organizations say the continued visibility of street children in Bujumbura highlights the need for more comprehensive and sustainable solutions that address the root causes of the problem.
