---

Street Children (Congo)

I agree with my hon. Friend and I know that War Child in particular is keen to engage in that type of awareness-raising campaign. The question is whether we tackle people’s beliefs head-on or take action in a different way. How do we get the message over to people so that we confront the issue of accusing children of sorcery, which is clearly, as the hon. Member for Gainsborough said, illegal? We need a campaign that tells people that accusing children of sorcery is not acceptable and that tackles those beliefs, but that will have to be done sensitively. As I said, I know that War Child in particular is keen to tackle that, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State may have views on it. Those issues need to be taken on board very seriously and we have a responsibility to keep pressing the new Government and the politicians on the issues. We also met the leaders of the Catholic and Protestant Churches, who have condemned the notion of accusations of witchcraft, but I would certainly urge them to be more strongly proactive, and on a continuing basis. It is important that they do that. We were not altogether convinced about the degree and continuity of that opposition, where those leaders clearly have a role to play. I know that other hon. Members wish to speak, but I want to say briefly that we need to keep our eye on the outcome of the election because the street children will have a chance only if we have dealt with all the other issues, the key issues, and if we ensure that the newly elected politicians in the National Assembly and provincial government and the president and presidential team deal with those fundamental issues. I am thinking particularly of the security situation. They need to deal with the question of good governance, corruption and the use of resources because, without that, street children and their problems will never be dealt with. We will not be putting in the necessary resources. We will still be in a position in which the wealth of the country is plundered and it does not get down to taking those key issues on board and dealing with them.