Welcoming remarks of the AUC Deputy Chairperson marking the Day of the African Child- 2008

Posted June 24th, 2008 by speakafrica

WELCOMING REMARKS OF THE AUC DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON MARKING THE DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD- 2008

“RIGHT TO PARTICIPATION: LET CHILDREN BE SEEN AND HEARD”

Your Excellency Madame First Lady,
Representative of the Ethiopian Government
Your Excellencies,
Representatives of UN Agencies
Representatives of NGOs and other Organizations
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honoured to share thoughts with this distinguished gathering on this year’s Day of the African Child being celebrated under the theme: “Right to Participation: Let Children Be Seen and Heard”. May I at the outset express on behalf of the African Union Commission our appreciation to the UN Agencies, Non governmental organizations and the host Government of Ethiopia with whom we have joined hands in commemorating the Day of the African Child.

As you are aware, the Day of the African Child (DAC) has been celebrated on 16 June every year since 1991, this day was especially selected by the OAU in 1991 to mark the tragic police killings in Soweto, South Africa of thousands of black school children who took to the streets in 1976, in a march to protest the inferior quality of their education and to demand their right to be taught in their own language.

So this Day represents a heroic and courageous fight by children for their rights in order to be ‘Seen’ and ‘Heard’. In choosing the theme for this year, the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) wanted to draw attention to the lives of African children today and for the need to enable children to express their views and opinions, to be heard and to participate in issues, initiatives and decisions that affect their rights and welfare.

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

From the humble beginnings by children in Soweto and other children in Africa, seeds were planted and their roots and branches are spreading around the continent. Hence, joint efforts by the African Member States to promote the rights and welfare of the African child have been in motion since the 1970s resulting in the Declaration on the Rights and Welfare of the African Child which was adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity at its 16th Ordinary Session in Monrovia, Liberia in July 1979. Following on from this, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child was adopted by the OAU in 1990 and came into force in November 1999.

These efforts resulted in the creation of the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child by the Assembly Heads of State and Government at 37th Session in Lusaka, Zambia in July 2001. I would like to thank UNICEF, Plan International, Save the Children in particular and all Partners for their support to the Committee, which has enabled it carry out its mandate to promote and protect the rights of the Child.

In spite of progress made, there still remains a pressing need for all African Union Member States to ratify the Charter. At present 41 Member States have ratified the Charter. Furthermore, stronger commitment and political will is crucial to empowering African children and providing them with good quality education and healthcare, opportunities to participate and to protect them against all kinds of abuse and exploitation. Let us therefore thank and appreciate those countries that have put efforts to empower the African Child.

In this respect, the Call for Accelerated Action adopted at the Second Pan-African Forum on Children: Mid-Term Review held in Cairo, Egypt in November 2007 is vital in encouraging all remaining Member States to ratify the Charter and making further progress in implementing the goals set out in the AU Plan of Action for Children: Africa Fit for Children.

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

2008 is the first year of implementation for the AU Call For Accelerated Action for an Africa Fit For Children and Participation is one of the 5 indispensable obligations. Celebrating the Day of the African Child has three objectives:

i)    to give wide publicity to the commitments to children made by Member States as an outcome that arose from the Mid Term Review of the Africa Fit For Children agenda;
ii)    to provide a strategic opportunity to make a public call for the Ratification of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the African Youth Charter for those member states that have not yet ratified these Charters;
iii)    to raise our concern regarding violence and its impact on children. When tensions turn to violence, it is always the most vulnerable members of society, women and children that are worst affected. They are most often the target of rape, sexual harassment and child abuse. Some are even sucked into conflicts as “child soldier”.

It is in this connection that the African Union calls upon Governments to ratify the Charters that have been developed to provide for the survival, protection and development of children and youth. The same governments must immediately adopt and implement specific laws, promote bilateral and multilateral agreements to address the root causes of irregular forced migration, including smuggling and human trafficking that usually results not only in xenophobia and violence but also in economic and sexual exploitation, particularly of women and children.

The way forward is to ensure that we continue to fight for the rights of children to participate in helping to shape the policies that affect them and giving them a medium through which they can speak up whether through the media, internet, children and youth clubs/association or through an Ombudsman for children who would consult with government to help children and young people know their rights and represent their interests and rights in the public arena.

I’d like to conclude by thanking UNICEF, the host Government of Ethiopia and all the Partners for organizing this special Pan African Advocacy event today to celebrate the Day of the African Child 2008. The joint effort for this event shows the level of commitment that exists to promote the cause of the African child and better their lives; with your continued support we will forge ahead to achieve the necessary goals to make Africa truly fit for our children.

Thank you all for your kind attention and God bless you as we think of the African Child.