19 Jun 2017

The Day of the African Child aims to raise awareness on children’s rights and responsibilities in order to have a peaceful future.

Speaking during the South East District June 16 commemoration held at Mogobane Junior Secondary School recently, the district chief social and economic development officer, Mr Nakedi Morwagabuse said every child has the right to live in a good peaceful environment.

For her part, a Form Three student at Mogobane Junior Secondary School, Ms Koketso Ramodisa said the day’s commemoration was in remembrance of what transpired in South Africa during the apartheid era.

She said the struggle did not only affect South Africa, but affected Batswana as well as the two countries shared the border.

Furthermore, she said Batswana must stand up to protect their children and join hands with other African countries to achieve an accelerated protection, empowerment and equal opportunities for children in Africa by 2030.

Stepping Stones International coordinator, Ms Mmaabo Setshwaelo said they were working with children and cautioned that children’s rights have to go along with responsibilities.

She said children have the right to good health, clothing, education, to be protected from harm, and to be loved and being heard.

For his part, Kgosi Nobi Moilwa of Mogobane said every individual has rights and that no one should step on other people’s rights.

He regretted that some children were stepping on the rights of their parents through misbehaving and indulging in wrong practices.

Kgosi Moilwa further regretted that some parents were contributing to children’s bad behaviour as they sell drugs such as marijuana to them, thereby destroying their lives. BOPA