Kindu, 6 May 2012 – the Office of Public Information and the Electoral Division of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) sensitized more than a hundred children on their involvement in the on-going electoral process in the DRC.

The theme of this awareness-raising workshop which was organized on 3 May in Katako Kombe, a locality situated seven kilometres from the town of Kindu in Kailo territory, was "Non à l'utilisation de l'enfant pendant le processus électoral" (No to the use of Children during the Electoral Process). The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) and the NGO, AHUPADHE, were also in attendance.
During this workshop, simple yet concise messages were communicated to children, notably: "children should be taught only a few notions about elections", "children belong in school", and also "children are not voters and should not register".

This approach was welcomed by the representative of the traditional chief who confessed facing major challenges in this regard. She opined that several children were registered and even voted during the 2011 poll. These minors were therefore exposed to the many cases of sexual abuse recorded in the region.

The representative from CENI, for his part, stressed the provisions of Congolese Law on the registration of persons on voters' lists.

Matthieu Ilunga Shambuy/ Radio Okapi, Martha Biongo/ MONUSCO