Young
People in the Media (YPM) recently held a press briefing on their upcoming 5th
National Child Award held at the UNICEF conference room UN House, Cape Point - Bakau.
The award, which will be held on 31January 2014, is done on the theme “Encouraging Our Pacesetters Putting Children First”.
Speaking on the occasion, Pierre Jatta, head of Adoption and Child Placement at the Department of Social Welfare, said the National Child Friendly Award has been set aside by Gambian Children to recognize the individual institutions whose contributions have impacted on the lives of children.
He said it is important to recognize that millions of children make their way through the impoverished, abandoned, uneducated, malnourished, and discriminated against, neglected and vulnerable.
Mr Jatta added that for children life is a daily struggle to survive, whether they live in urban centers or rural outposts, they risk missing out on their childhood, excluded from essential services such as hospitals and schools, lacking the protection of the family and community, often at risk of exploitation and abuse.
He said it is therefore hard to avoid the conclusion that the adults of the world are failing in their responsibilities to ensure that every child enjoys a childhood.
For his part Bakary Badjie, Board Member of YPM, said children are the future so putting them first is very important.
He added that child protection means the creation of an environment conducive for children. He said in the Gambia we have a lot of issues affecting children like corporal punishments and early marriages and child sexual abuse, which need to be addressed.
For his part, Almameh Barrow of SOS said all children have the right to experience loving child relationship.
