17 Jun 2013

Day of the African child marks government and stakeholders' efforts in the protection of a child, Francistown mayor, Mr James Kgalajwe has said.

Speaking during commemoration of the Day of the African Child in Francistown on June 15, he said, “this event should recall in us and the nation at large its relevance as it is a day on which multitudes of youth across South Africa stood against the practices governing their education system.”

He said the day was a focal point in which government, parents and organisations should play a role towards protection of children against any form of abuse, whether be at school, at home or the society they lived in.

“It is the duty of us as councillors to educate the public about Day of the African Child. This day we have highly esteemed it in conjunction with the district office to tackle the alarming rates of child abuse within our society,” he said.

The guest speaker at the commemoration and the chairperson of the district children`s consultative forum, Mr Gideon Tladi, said the day should not be about events that took place in 1976. He said it should be about protecting the rights and responsibilities of children and recognising that child protection was for all.

“Children in Botswana are experiencing different challenges due to social cultural aspects. As the future leaders and role models of tomorrow, there is need for collective responsibility to address these aspects,” Mr Tladi, who is who is a Form Two student at Donga junior secondary school.

Mr Tladi said corporal punishment was good and could mould teenagers but it became more debatable when it went too far. He also called upon child stakeholders to continue playing their pivotal role for greater mobilisation and realisation of the rights of children against harmful practices. Ends