[Shadow_Group] Fw: Kenyan street children

[shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca]

Reuters.

NAIROBI (Reuters) - More than 100 jailed Kenyan street children smeared
themselves and their Nairobi cells with feces in a protest Wednesday,
leading police to call in firefighters to hose them down. 
The homeless boys had been jailed at the central police station for
several weeks, awaiting transfer to government-sponsored homes. 

But their frustration boiled over Wednesday and the 113 in the jail ran
riot, attempting to escape and then demanding to be released or charged,
police said. 

"They smeared themselves with sh-t, smeared everywhere with sh-t and
damaged doors trying to escape," said central police station boss Julius
Ndegwa. 

The boys have also refused to eat, and banged prison doors after their
escape attempt failed. 

The Nairobi Fire Department, called in by police, brought fire engines
and water cannons in to hose down the children and the jail, which is
located next to an upmarket hotel. 

"The stench was unbearable," said one of the firefighters. 

Nairobi's streets are home to thousands of homeless children, many of
them abandoned or orphaned by AIDS. Many steal and sniff glue and are
regarded as an aggressive menace. They are also often the victims of
abuse and violence. 

President Mwai Kibaki has pledged to move the street children into
government homes, but the plan has lost steam due to a lack of money. 

© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.resist.ca/pipermail/shadowgroup-l/attachments/20041030/43cfbbef/attachment.html>