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X. Annex: Analysis of Mpimba Interviews

Some of the conclusions drawn in this report are based on data collected from 136 children at the Mpimba central prison in Bujumbura only in late January 2007. Children jailed at the central prison may not be representative of all children in prison. The vast majority of children accused of FNL collaboration are detained in this prison and there are prisons with no one held on these charges. However, little or no differences are expected in the general social profile of children jailed at the central prison compared to other prisons in Burundi. Children are jailed based on proximity to where the crimes occurred but can sometimes request transfer to another prison, for example closer to family, so not everyone in the prison Mpimba is from the Bujumbura area. Because of the small sample size, statistical conclusions may not always be drawn.

Descriptive Information

Table 1 – Grounds for Arrest

Reason

%

(n)

Rape

25.7%

(35)

Theft

39.7%

(54)

Participation in armed groups (FNL)

23.5%

(32)

Other (murder, attempted murder, sorcery)

11.0%

(15)



Table 2 – Parental Status

Parental Status

    %

(n)

Both parents alive

42.6%

(58)

One parent alive

37.5%

(51)

Orphan

19.9%

(27)



Table 3 - Education

Education Level

%

(n)

No Education

20.6%

(28)

1st to 3rd Grade

30.9%

(42)

4th to 6th Grade

41.9%

(57)

Higher

6.6%

(9)



Table 4 – Work Prior to Arrest

Occupation

%

(n)

No Occupation

8.8%

(12)

Domestic work192

30.1%

(41)

Rebel/FNL

4.4%

(6)

Cow or goat herd

3.7%

(5)

Farmer

5.9%

(8)

Selling or working in small business

16.9%

(23)

Semi-Skilled Labor193

12.5%

(17)

Student

12.5%

(17)

Transport

2.2%

(3)

Other

2.9%

(4)



Table 5 – Legal Assistance

Legal Assistance

%

(n)

Yes

13.2%

(18)

No

86.8%

(118)



Table 6 – Grounds for Arrest and Legal Assistance

Legal Assistance

Crime

% Yes

(n)

% No

(n)

Rape

34.29%

(12)

65.71%

(23)

Theft

7.41%

(4)

92.59%

(50)

Rebel/FNL

3.13%

(1)

96.88%

(31)

Other

6.67%

(1)

93.33%

(14)

Legal Assistance and Education

Among the respondents, those accused of rape were 6.5 times more likely to see a lawyer compared to those accused of theft. Those accused of rape were also 16.1 times more likely to see a lawyer than those accused of being part of the FNL. This is likely because of NGO programs such as Victims of Torture that provide legal assistance in some rape cases. Among those accused of being part of the FNL, only one out of 32 had seen a lawyer. There were too few observations in the “other’ category for meaningful comparison.



Table 7 – Grounds for Arrest and Parental Status

Rape

Theft

FNL

Other

Parental Status

% Yes

(n)

% Yes

(n)

% Yes

(n)

% Yes

(n)

Both parents alive

25.9%

(15)

32.8%

(19)

29.3%

(17)

12.1%

(7)

One parent alive

23.5%

(12)

45.1%

(23)

19.6%

(10)

11.8%

(6)

Orphan

29.6%

(8)

44.4%

(12)

18.5%

(5)

7.4%

(2)

Overall, most respondents were in jail on charge of theft (39.7 percent of all the respondents). Data suggest that orphans were more frequently in jail for alleged rape compared to the other groups. Respondents with both parents alive reported more frequently accused of “FNL” as the reason of their arrest. However, none of the differences among groups were statistically significant, possibly because of the small sample size.



Table 8 – Education and Parental Status

No education

1st to 3rd grade

4th to 6th grade

Higher

Parental Status

%

(n)

%

(n)

%

(n)

%

(n)

Both Parents Alive

17.2%

(10)

31.0%

(18)

48.3%

(28)

3.4%

(2)

One parent alive

15.7%

(8)

29.4%

(15)

47.1%

(24)

7.8%

(4)

Orphan

37.0%

(10)

33.3%

(9)

18.5%

(5)

11.1%

(3)

The data suggest that orphans are on average less educated than those with one or two parents. Over 70 percent of the orphans had only completed third grade or lower, compared to less than 50 percent among children with one or both parents alive.




192 Domestic work, for the research, was defined as working outside of the child’s home for another family and receiving a monthly wage for that work.

193 This includes work as a fisherman, mason, shoemaker, mechanic, welder, among others occupations.