Forgotten Children of Congo

A few years ago I travelled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo with filmmaker Alex Tweedle to produce a self-funded documentary exploring the lives of some of the country’s most vulnerable children.

After decades of dictatorship and conflict, the DRC remains one of the most unstable nations in the world. Our film focused on children growing up in the aftermath of this violence — some forced into militias, others abandoned by their families and surviving on the streets of Kinshasa, where tens of thousands of street children are estimated to live.

Despite being roughly the size of Western Europe and possessing vast reserves of minerals, the country remains among the poorest on earth. Since the late 1990s, conflicts in the region have caused millions of deaths through war, disease and famine.

During filming we encountered the disturbing phenomenon of children accused of witchcraft. In some communities, pastors or religious figures claim a child is possessed and offer to perform exorcisms, often in exchange for money. These rituals can last for days and frequently involve confinement, intimidation and abuse.

Children who refuse to confess are often rejected by their families and forced onto the streets. Many face violence or severe neglect after being labelled as “witches”.

The completed film screened at international film festivals and was distributed to children’s charities to help raise awareness of the abuse and stigma faced by these children — many of whom had no way of defending themselves against the accusations made against them.