By Emma Kakololo
WINDHOEK
The right to survival, to develop to the fullest, protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation, and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life is meant to be the dream that should keep the African child going. However, these rights are violated each day of their lives with grave repercussions that stretch well beyond their childhood.
As Namibia joined the rest of the continent on Saturday to commemorate the Day of the African Child, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Sirrka Ausiku, reiterated Government’s commitment to making this dream of the Namibian child a reality.
In an interview with New Era, Ausiku said Government has set up programmes that addresses children’s rights as stipulated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Namibian Constitution, which were being fulfilled by different line ministries and other stakeholders.
According to Ausiku, the Day of the African Child was of utmost importance to the country as it helped raise awareness among the communities and especially children about their rights as well as responsibilities.
“These could be measured on the reported cases to the relevant authorities where children’s rights have been violated. Guardians and caregivers frequent relevant agencies seeking support or children assistance. Likewise, children are also aware of their rights and the rights of others.”
Poverty alone, according to the United Nations, is a violation of the Convention on a massive scale and the achievements of this Convention are sometimes undermined by inadequate commitment and policies that do not favour its implementation.
Hence the policies set up by Government are indeed in line with the Convention, she said. “Namibia has also ratified the United Nations CRC.
Thus, in addition to the rights and freedoms guaranteed to children in terms of the Constitution, children in Namibia are also guaranteed the rights set out in the Convention.
“The policies that are guiding Government and stakeholders on how to handle the plight of OVC are for example the National Policy on Orphans and Vulnerable Children, the HIV/AIDS policy for the education sector. The actual laws that are aiming at the protection of children are the Children’s Act, Child Status Act, Combating of Rape Act, Domestic Violence Act, Maintenance Act, Education Act, Marriage Person Equality Act and Labour Act,” she stressed.
In addition, she stated that the high increase in the number of orphans in the country due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic is a major concern. She called on Namibians to assist Government in addressing this problem.
“Government has programmes to address the pandemic. Families have been over-stretched and cannot cope to absorb the growing number of orphans; thus the involvement of all Namibians is necessary to have community safety nets for orphans as it was before – when a child was a child of the whole village,” she said.
This year’s theme is “Combating Child Trafficking”, which refers to the illegal transport of human beings, in particular children, for the purposes of selling them or exploiting their labour. “It is one of the severe violations of human rights in the world today, and Namibia is no exception,” said Ausiku, adding that the theme was chosen to raise awareness on child trafficking in the world.
“What is important to raise is the rights of the children. The more society upholds and protects children’s rights, for example in education, the more child trafficking will be combated,” she stressed.