18 Jun 2018

Youth across the country joined in the commemoration of the Day of the African Child.

The day was celebrated under the theme: Leave no child behind for Africa’s development. It calls for the development of national strategies aimed at ensuring that no child was left behind, and that those left behind were prioritised in all implementation efforts.

In Maun, Ms Selwana Mahama, the assistant council secretary at Maun Administrative Authority, urged parents, teachers, guardians and the community to join efforts and stand up for children’s rights to help them realise their potential.

During an event held at Maun Sports Complex on Friday, Ms Mahama said that there was need to ensure that the 2030 Agenda catered for all children whilst paying attention to those left behind.
“The 2030 Agenda commitment is about children who do not have access to opportunities specifically targeting children who are not benefitting from Africa’s growth and development,” she said.

She emphasised that children should be at the centre whenever policies and programmes were developed to ensure that no child was left behind during the drive towards sustainable economic development.

Ms Mahama further said children should be granted room to participate and make contributions in decision making processes that may shape their lives and that of communities.

She said the theme for the day: Leave no child behind for Africa’s development emphasised the importance of creating and maintaining a safe and conducive environment for children to grow, develop and mature properly.

Ms Mahama thanked individuals and organisations who had made working with children their responsibility, and urged them to continue with their commitment in accelerating protection, empowerment and equal opportunities to children.

Miss RADP 2017 Juliet Sango perceives the Day of the African Child as a day for individuals to acknowledge the valuable lesson, knowledge and experience from history.
“Africa today takes a vow that we are going to invest in our children for a better tomorrow. We are stopping the habit of just calling them leaders of tomorrow while we leave them behind,” she said.

Ms Sango said children should be empowered by teaching them their rights and responsibilities at an early stage rather than denying them the lessons and hoping that they would figure them out later and expect them to become responsible leaders.

Meanwhile in Palapye, Lebalang Ditlhobolo reports that speaker of the day focused on the need for African leaders to make deliberate provisions for legal inclusion of children in decision making.

Smart Draw company manager, Mr Lethabo Lefutswe said in an interview on the sidelines of the commemoration in Palapye that by so doing, it would help society in understanding the specific needs of children.

He said failure to include children in decision making would only breed a society of rebels characterised by violence and anger. He added that there were societal and cultural expectations which go against the desires of young people, and that societies would continue to raise a generation characterised by anger because their social needs were not catered for.

Mr Lefutswe said issues such as child marriages, child trafficking, child labour and sexual exploitation was a cause for concern, highlighting that as long as there were laws and cultural practices which gave room to the issues, it would not be easy to develop an African child.

For his part, Lotsane Senior Secondary School student, Mr Tshepang Molatedi said there was need for a change such that all African children were given an opportunity of playing a role in Africa’s development.

Mr Molatedi said every child had the right to contribute to the success of the African nation and should be provided with the resources and opportunities to do so.

“As children and leaders of tomorrow we ought to be given a chance to have a say on how our country and the continent of Africa as a whole should be governed for the betterment of the nation,” he said. ENDS