Report on the Advocacy Mission to assess the situation of children in Central African Republic people are abducted and forcibly recruited by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). 22. The Delegation also found the actual participation of children in the conflict with collected testimonies of children who reported having committed abuses on the rival group to avenge the killing of their parents or family members. Other children have also explained that they assisted “their elder brothers” for night patrols to ensure their security. These children often have no contact with their parents though their parents live with them in the same refugee camp. They explained that they choose to abandon their parents and live with armed group leaders (whom they call “Tontons”) who can ensure their security and give them food. The young girls do household chores or prepare coffee for the “Tontons” and also recognize participating in night rounds and even in hostilities. Children often join militias to avoid idleness, to find security and eat and sometimes for revenge, even if counseling activities of NGOs deter them from doing it. f) Rape and violence against children 23. The Delegation received information that reveals over 550 000 17