17 Nov 2025

Child President, Ms Aumake Aaron, has called on SADC governments to move from making promises to taking specific, immediate actions that improve children's lives, saying the time is now.

Presenting her speech during World Children’s Day at Parliament on Saturday, Ms Aumake asked leaders to fulfil their promises by implementing policies through concrete action. She emphasised that SADC governments must urgently initiate programs and reform efforts directly impacting youth and children in the region.

The 2025 World Children’s Day focused on the theme: My Day, My Rights- From Promises to Actions, highlighting the need to move beyond words.

Ms Aumake said the theme calls on all sectors,  the government, civil society, the private sector and communities to create a lifelong, safe environment for children. In light of these concerns, she urged governments to prioritise children's protection, education, health, and wellbeing.

She emphasised, ‘Our leaders must act, but real change depends on all of us. We, the children of Africa, must not only be seen, but also heard. We ask for genuine participation in every decision that shapes our lives at the community and national levels. We are never too small to make a difference.” 

She further called for fully inclusive opportunities and participation for all young people, including children with disabilities, to ensure no child is left behind.

Ms Aumake noted limited access to healthcare and disability-friendly facilities, and highlighted that food insecurity and malnutrition undermine children’s growth, learning, and well-being.

Therefore, she called for an education system that caters to a child of the 21^st century in this digital era, with more schools equipped with better resources, classrooms, qualified teachers, reliable electricity and internet, and equal opportunities for all learners.

“For it is easier to build a strong child than to repair a broken adult,” she affirmed.

While she expressed gratitude for the progress made by governments across the southern African region, she also highlighted the urgent challenges children continue to face throughout the region.

“Girls drop out due to early marriages, and boys are sometimes pushed into child labour. We are not safe in our communities and are continually exposed to all forms of abuse: defilement, sexual exploitation, trafficking, bullying, cyber bullying, child labour, domestic violence, early child marriages and gender-based violence. We live in unsafe public spaces with poorly-lit streets and inadequate policing, which puts us at a greater risk,” Ms Aaron noted.

Also, she raised concerns about the continued rise in drug and substance abuse among the youth. She said it remains to be answered as to who the suppliers of these deadly substances are, which cause ruin to children’s futures.

Similarly, she noted the shortage of recreational facilities, libraries, youth centres and mental health services, which they experienced ‘for we still have the right to play and leisure.’

She said lack of accessible reporting mechanisms, trained counsellors, and child-friendly support services and widespread, unsupported mental health and psychosocial issuee remain concerns for children. Economic hardships force children into labour or street vending, increasing school dropouts, she noted.

Ms Aumake called for stronger law enforcement and harsher punishment for perpetrators, as well as community awareness, safer schools and recreational spaces, and expanded family-level protective services.

She emphasised the need for safe public spaces, water and sanitation services, adequately resourced schools, better classrooms, qualified teachers, reliable electricity and internet, and equal opportunities for all learners. ENDS