Suicidal children thrown a lifeline by Plan

Children across West Africa will benefit from Plan's mobile counselling units

23 June 2008: New mobile counselling units are offering support to children living in West Africa who have suffered terrible trauma as a result of poverty, conflict and abuse.   
   
"Two times the lady I was working for put hot pepper in my vagina as a punishment. Then she tied up my hands and feet and locked me up for an entire day without food or water...

"Now I am back in Togo, it is the wife of my husband's brother that treats me badly...  It got to the point where I felt I could not go on and I bought chemicals so I could end my life."

This is the story of 15 year-old Akissi from Est Mono in Togo who is a survivor of child trafficking. Her story is just one of many uncovered by Plan researchers, who examined requirements for psycho-social support for children in the region.

At risk

Researchers spoke to more than 1,000 children and looked at areas including child trafficking in Togo and war-affected communities in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The report showed there was a high risk of suicide among those interviewed who had suffered physical and sexual abuse. It also showed that existing initiatives in the region are not always offering the best support for traumatised children.

Plan action

As a result, Plan has now set up its own mobile psycho-social support units to help the high-risk children identified by the researchers, in the first initiative of its kind for Plan.

These units provide traditional healing ceremonies, family mediation, medical facilities and social assistance, including financial support for school or apprenticeship equipment and fees.

So far they have been set up in Togo, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Liberia and aim to provide an immediate response to children identified as at a ‘high-risk’ of suicide.

Plan hopes to continue and expand the project over the coming years.

Learn about Plan's global work to stop violence against children.