The
world recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child (CRC). The convention is an international law on childhood,
which sets out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of
every child, regardless of their race, religion or abilities.
Over
the years, the CRC has played a key role in improving the lives of children
across the continent. Nearly all governments have pledged to respect, protect
and promote those rights making the convention one of the most universally
accepted treaties in history. The CRC protects the right of all children,
everywhere, to be free from neglect, discrimination and violence.
In
adherence to this convention, most African governments, working with various
stakeholders, have made significant laudable efforts to ensure that all
children’s rights are respected.
Different
legislative, policy and programmatic initiatives to protect children are in
place. While notable progress has been made in the past three decades,
significant challenges remain in different parts of the continent, particularly
for deprived, excluded and vulnerable children.
There
is still a great way to go. To date, we still hear of cases of children living
in extreme poverty, child trafficking, child labor, child sexual exploitation,
child soldiers, child marriages and other horrid stories. Cases of child rights
violation remain high. Even worse, our young ones continue to face physical,
sexual, emotional and other forms of abuse especially in places where it is
assumed they would be safe - such as at home and school.
Violence
against children is often perpetrated by people closest to them, who ideally
should be protecting them such as parents and teachers.
A
recent 2019 survey of 5,500 children, aged 10 to 12 in 15 countries across five
continents by ChildFund Alliance, dubbed Small Voices, Big Dreams, revealed
that children are living their days in fear of violence.
According
to the study, more than 40% of child respondents said they do not feel
sufficiently protected from violence in their country, with 80% citing physical
violence, sexual abuse, and participation in war or organized crime as clear
examples of violence faced by children. Nearly as many identified non-physical
forms of violence, including sexual harassment and social media. They also
associated the internet and social media as the most unsafe places for
children, followed by streets and public transport. These findings are very
disturbing! To think that so many children are living their days in fear of
violence.
Exposure
to violence is painful. Such traumatic childhood experiences can be linked to
different problems in a person’s adult life including low education attainment,
health challenges and poor social skills.
Violence
against children inhibits their growth and development. Violence robs children
of happiness, dignity and a future. No kind of violence against children is
justifiable. The good news is, all violence against children is preventable. In
order to decisively deal with cases of child rights violations, there is a need
to address the underlying causes and adopt a multi-disciplinary approach that
will steer us in the right direction towards fulfilling their rights.
For
example, at ChildFund, in the 9 countries where we operate in Africa, we have
adopted a proactive and holistic approach that not only focuses on dealing with
the perpetrators but also on establishing vibrant community-based child
protection mechanisms.
This
entails establishing strong community level networks and linking them with
statutory child protection systems. It is necessary to empower children and
caregivers, with the information and skills they need to prevent and respond to
violence. Children have human rights and they should be empowered to claim
them.
They
should no longer be silenced but instead encouraged to participate meaningfully
in decisions that concern them. Communities must also be sensitized on the
detrimental effects of violence not only individuals but also on the society
and nation as a whole.
This
approach complements governments’ efforts towards establishing strong community
mechanisms for child protection and enhancing caregiver’s knowledge and skills
on child rights as well as well-coordinated reporting and referral mechanisms.
As
we reflect on the gains made over the past 30 years in achievement of the
UNCRC, let us not forget that protecting children is everyone’s responsibility.
Children, parents, communities, NGOs and government have a role to play.
Lastly, let us not forget that we still have a long way to go to achieve the
positive vision of childhood set out in the UNCRC back in 1989. Governments,
working with all stakeholders, must take key actions to make this a reality for
all children. This is the perfect opportunity to put children’s rights high on
the African agenda for the African child.
