Child Protection : Let Children Grow Up Safely

On the 2nd October every year, the world observes the International Day of Non-Violence following a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly in 2007.  The day commemorates the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.

Child Protection An Urgent Priority

Non-violence is an essential philosophy and strategy for the world if nations are to be at peace with each other and within themselves.  The philosophy of non-violence must be applied to everyone but particularly to vulnerable people, and especially to children.

This means that children must be kept safe from all forms of harm and conflict and must be protected from emotional, verbal and physical abuse.  This abuse can come from strangers but can also come from parents and guardians.  In Zimbabwe and globally, children experience various forms of violence, exploitation and abuse, in many cases at the hands of the people they trust:

  • Almost two out of three children experience some of violent discipline.
  • Nearly one-third of children up to the age of 17 years, some as young as five, are working, and more than one out of ten have to work under hazardous conditions.

In Zimbabwe and globally, the law is very clear:  children are vulnerable persons whose best interests are paramount globally.  Section 81 of the Zimbabwean Constitution states that every child has the right:

“to be protected from economic and sexual exploitation, from child labour, and from maltreatment, neglect or any form of abuse.”

Protecting children means protecting their physical, mental and psychological needs to safeguard their future.  Zimbabwe has made substantial progress on many child protection issues, notably in prohibiting child marriages, raising the age of sexual consent, registering births, rolling out child friendly court systems and counselling the public against violence towards children. The country has also advanced child protection through ratifying international legal instruments such as the Convention on the Rights of a Child.

More needs to be done, however.

Conclusion

This day is commemorated as a call to end to violence in all its forms and particularly to end to violence against children.  It signifies a world where peace triumphs over conflict, dialogue over division and compassion over fear.  This day calls upon each and every one of us to speak out against violence and to protect our children from it:  our children are our future.