Rudolf Gaiseb
Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) parliamentarian Lilian Lutuhez said there has been a noticeable increase in the number of alleged stateless and Angolan children on the streets.
She expressed concern about the homeless and vulnerable, and the safety and protection of the children roaming the streets.
“The children fill the streets of Oshakati, Swakopmund, and Windhoek, where they are found selling cooking sticks and begging for food and money,” she said in parliament recently.
These minors of alleged Angolan descent continue to roam barefoot, begging passersby for money.
They are also usually spotted at shopping malls across Windhoek, selling wooden products such knobkieries, cups, and spoons.
“Despite the visibility of this growing crisis, there appears to be no coordinated, transparent, or proactive response from the Ministry of Gender and Child Welfare,” she added.
She highlighted that Namibia signed and ratified both domestic and international legal instruments that compel the protection of the rights of all children within our territory, regardless of nationality or immigration status.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child signifies an agreement between countries to adhere to the same laws regarding child protection.
Namibia ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 28 September 1990.
Lutuhezi urged that failure to act not only violates those commitments but also places these children in continued and unacceptable danger.
Meanwhile, previous government efforts to gather and repatriate these individuals had failed, as they had returned from the Angola-Namibia border.