before admission to the Center, the delegation could not verify how reliable this
claim was, and also the extent to which such data is systematically collected.
While the delegation indeed witnessed the existence of a register at the Centre,
its attention was drawn to shortage of facilities in Buhangija Centre. For instance,
there is a serious shortage of computers [reportedly only one computer available
in the Centre] to properly register and document the ever-increasing number of
children.
It was also indicated that with a view to concealing their identity, some
parents provide wrong information about their own identity, and tracing them
later is a problem. The delegation notes that there is no clear exit strategy in place
to reunite the children back to their families. There are no guidelines, rules and
regulations for the regulation and establishment of the ‘temporary’ holding centers
including Buhangija. The delegation was told that some parents simply abandon their
children in the Centres with the objective (on the face of it) of protecting them from
attacks. This in turn results, a number of children with no proper documentation
and family linkages. The delegation strongly believes that the children should have
been kept for the shortest time possible. However, this is not the case for the children
in Buhangija and other similar Centres, where the children have been staying since
2008. The delegation realizes that out of the total of 32 Centres in Tanzania, the
children in the 23 don’t stay at the holdings. In the remaining nine Centres (out
which eight are in the Lake Zone Region), the delegation was told that majority of
the children have not visited their parents since 2008, and none of the Centres are
closed.
Some organisations have also informed the delegation that the Government
has collected the children from their parents without the later’s consent and without
conducting proper consultation or best interests determinations. Informants
indicated the parents were only told that the Government is taking their children to
safety. Social workers have insufficiently been included in the process of rounding
up the children, as in most of the cases it was done in consultation with community
development officers. No proper record keeping was done as the Government
employed a faulty procedure which did not include all the experts needed to
document the details of the children. As a result, it was clearly mentioned that there
are some children, for instance in Buhangija Centre, who do not even know where
their parents are.
The situation contributes to the violation of the rights of the children to
the enjoyment of parental care and protection. In accordance with the African
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