Marking the 2009 Day of the African Child
This statement from The Center for Elections and Governance in Zambia, on the occasion of the Day of the African Child (16 June), calls for heads of state, members of parliament, elected councilors and public workers to be more accountable and responsive to needs of children.
Centre for Elections and Governance (CEG) Zambia
15th June, 2009
The News Editor,
Zambia News and Information Service,
Mass Media Complex
Lusaka.
PRESS STATEMENT TO MARK JUNE 16 AS THE DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD
Our organization would like to join the country and the continent at large in commemorating this Day.
June 16 was adopted by the Organization of African Unity (OAU- now called the African Union, in 1991 as time for an Annual Review of the commitment to the respect of the Basic Human Rights of the African Child on the continent. This Year’s Theme is “Africa Fit for Children”.
The Day had been remembered as an occasion when school children took to the streets of South Africa’s sprawling Soweto Township in Johannesburg during the era of Apartheid to protect against the poor quality of education for non-white races and demanding to be taught in local languages.
Zambia was a staunch supporter of the liberation struggle in Southern Africa and was part to the decision to declare this Day as being for the protection of the African Child.
In line with this year’s theme, we feel African Leaders, including those here in Zambia, should do more to ensure the welfare of the children is taken care of properly.
It was the desire for freedom, including freedoms of children, that led to liberation wars on the continent and re-introduction of multi-party politics with Zambia taking a lead in this development.
Today, the continent is still unfit for most of the children. This calls for heads of state, members of parliament, elected councilors and public workers to be more accountable and responsive to needs of children.
The following are some of the examples that will help explain our argument:
Corruption has taken root especially in public institutions leading to depleting of meager national resources through stealing, misapplication, investigating suspects and rising legal costs. In Zambia, the on-going investigations of all government ministries has led to delays and stopping of service delivery systems, especially in the health sector.
There are still common cases of early marriages involving children below 16 years and older men older than 40 years. Similarly, incidences of defilements, even by teachers and parents, are common place and court punishments are not stiff enough to deter would-be abusers.
One of the African Union (AU)’s desire is to create a United States of Africa, to foster development, including children’s progress. But this will remain a pipe dream as incidences of conflict and xenophobia continue- where women and children are the major victims. Take for instance, the forced migration and repatriation of refugees like what is about to happen to Burundians Asylum seekers in Tanzania on June 30. There are also refugees resident in Zambia who would like to settle here and keep their children in school, but are being ordered to leave since their time is over. Then there is the killing of Albino Children in Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. Other horrendous acts include torching of asylum seekers and migrant laborers from Mozambique and Zimbabwe in South Africa, with traumatic effects of their families and children.
The Human Rights violations in Darfur, Southern Sudan, makes ones one weep and realize not all is well for the African Child there.
There are children in Zambian prisons who have been arrested and remanded together with their parent-suspects because there are no relatives to take care of them. The children have committed not crime and are being punished for the sins of their mothers.
We call upon the AU leadership to ensure the continental body and Zambian authorities top do more to protect vulnerable children.
The decision by AU chairperson and Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi to raise salaries for staff at the African Union Commission Secretariat in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia soon after ascending to the position was welcome, but he should also initiate radical programmes to address basic rights of children.
There is more children need beyond shelter, food, education and medicines (These are also not even adequate at the moment). A rights-based approach will go a long way in making the continent fit for children, not the way things are now.
Gershom Musonda
Trustee
Centre for Elections and Governance
0977 358796