By Wezi Tjaronda WINDHOEK Representatives of Namibian children forming part of the first sitting of the Children’s Parliament, have a load of issues affecting children that they will discuss during the current sitting, which was launched yesterday. Among the notices given for discussion as from this morning are corporal punishment in schools, disparities in education in urban and rural areas, rural-urban migration and its effects on the increase in crime and squatter settlements, street kids, unemployment, HIV/AIDS, the increase in crime especially in the tourism sector, Grade 10 dropouts, the involvement of the private sector in the education system, and also discipline among learners in schools. These notices of motion were read by some of the members of the Children’s Parliament a few minutes before it was officially launched by National Assembly Speaker, Theo-Ben Gurirab yesterday. The parliament, the first of its kind in Namibia, brings together children from the 13 regions of Namibia to deliberate on issues that affect them. The initiative, which was made by the former Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, in 2002, is meant to be a platform through which the voices of children in this country will be heard. Gurirab said Namibia’s children were moving in a direction to come forward and talk during which their plight and dreams will be discussed by lawmakers. “From this platform, our cooperating partners, other public institutions, influential persons and implementing agencies will hear their voices,” he said. Namibian children today, said the Speaker, are having to juggle between choices of needing parental support and becoming care-givers themselves at a tender age for their younger siblings and making decisions that ought not to be their chores. He added that children have traded places and are held hostage by widespread misfortune, which devastates households and turns children into adults having to play parents and society’s role. UNICEF Representative, Khin-Sandi Lwin, also reiterated this concern, saying HIV/AIDS was affecting babies and young children alike through their mothers during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding, and through sex and their risky sexual behaviour, among others.