Desperate Burundian refugees turn to prostitution in Rwanda

Prostitution has spread among desperate Burundian refugees in the neighboring Rwanda, as life in the refugee camps is not easy for them, the Rwandan authorities have revealed.

Christella, a girl who once lived in the Mahama refugee camps in the southeastern region, said she thought she could "continue studies in a normal life", but was forced to work as a prostitute.

"Someone came to me in camps and he promised to find for me a job. When we arrived in Kigali, I thought I was coming to get a decent employment in the city and give family a chance of a better life," she told Xinhua.

Fortunately, Christella was later saved by a relative living in Rwanda. She said she hopes to raise awareness about the life of young Burundian girls on the streets of the capital, Kigali.

Several girls recently alleged that they were "sexually abused by aid workers" in refugee camps and forced into prostitution, the government says.

However, police investigations suggest the fact is that desperate Burundian girls refugees turn to prostitution, especially in urban areas near Kigali, "rather than suffer sexual abuse."

Usually it is the poor living condition in the camps that have forced them to flee.

"These girls in refugee camps are not free to decide for themselves and say no, and exploitation is slowly feeding on poverty," Seraphine Mukantabana, Rwanda's minister of disaster management and refugees affairs, told Xinhua.

In a press briefing this month in Kigali, the official condemned the spread of prostitution among refugees and warned traffickers of the illegal acts.

"Prostitution in refugees camps is an illicit act that will never be tolerated by the authorities," she said.

Official figures show more than 28,000 Burundians have escaped into Rwanda, amid unrest sparked by the Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term in the June elections. Endi