About Burundi

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Burundi is comprised of two major ethnic groups, the Hutu people and the Tutsi people. While the Tutsi ethnic group is smaller in numbers than the Hutu, they have historically had more power in Burundi due to a monopoly on coffee exports, one of the main sources of economic gain in the country.
 

Over half of the country has been living in poverty since the 1990s—just one of the repercussions of the civil war. After the war, Burundi has been indebted to many surrounding countries, and even with some pardons, the economy still suffers.

 

Currently, the main challenges facing the country include recovering from the recent civil war and attempting to rehabilitate a corrupt government. President Nkurunziza continues to isolate the country from international relations, including regional neighbors and powers, the United Nations, and other Western powers. He has been accused of multiple crimes, and is using intimidation tactics against those who might threaten his reelection in 2020 or 2027.
 

Children in Burundi engage is the worst forms of child labor, still in 2020. Children engage in commercial sexual exploitation and dangerous agriculture work. Due to the lack of compulsory education age that is equal to the minimum age to be in the workforce. The government’s ability to constrain child labor is lacking because of the need for necessary resources to conduct labor inspections and criminal investigations. There is no access to sufficient social programs for children to rely on, as well as an overall lack of infrastructure, education and materials.

The labor code in Burundi prohibits children from working under the age of 16, but this only applies to formal employment relationships. Which often leads to children being taken advantage of in return for board and food. The labor code also does not prohibit children from working in the production and distribution of narcotics, additionally the penal code only prohibits children under the age of 15 from participating in armed conflict. This leaves children ages 15-18 vulnerable to being recruited and taken advantage of by the armed forces.

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