African First Ladies Push for a Continent Fit for Children

DASATURDAY FEATURE

June 16 every year is commemorated across the continent as Day of the African Child. Olaoluwakitan Babatunde traces the origin of the day, and writes that the African First Ladies are shinning the light in championing the wellbeing of the African child and could do better with international and more stakeholders’ support

Artheid government of South Africa, by storm on June 16 1976 when they trooped out to the streets of South West Town (Soweto) to protest the poor quality of education and systemic discrimination that put black students at grievous disadvantage. Also at the root of the uprising was the Afrikaans Medium Decree of 1974, which sort to make Afrikaans (associated with white minority and described by Bishop Desmond Tutu as the language of the oppressor), the second official and compulsory learning/instructional language for black students.

The estimated 10,000 to 20,000 protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Down with Afrikaans”, “Viva Azania” “If we must do Afrikaans, Vorster must do Zulu”. Balthazar Johannes Vorster was Prime Minister of the apartheid government from 1966 to 1978 and President between 1978 and 1979. But security forces set police dogs after the peaceful protesters, who retaliated by killing the dogs. The police responded by shooting at the children, wounding many and killing several others, including 12-year old Hector Pieterson, whose photographed dying body became the face of the two-week uprising. Buy the time the smoke cleared, over 179 children laid dead, while about 4,000 were wounded.

It was in commemoration of the resilience and courage of these African children in defence of their rights and in honour of the dead, and need to uphold and create awareness around the ideals of quality and equitable education, welfare, and socio-economic justice that those children fought for that the Organisation of African Unity (O.A.U), now the African Union (AU) in 1991 designated June 16 every year as the Day of the African Child (DAC).

Since then, the DAC celebrates the children of the continent, under specific themes for each year, calling for serious reflection and commitment towards addressing the many challenges facing children across the African continent. For DAC 2021, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC), which has spearheaded the DAC remembrance since 2002, chose the theme “30 Years after the Adoption of the Charter: Accelerate Implementation of Agenda 2040 For An Africa Fit For Children”.

Why Agenda 2040 matters
Pursuant to the commitment of the African Union to actualise the ideals of the DAC and the objectives of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (the Charter), the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, ACERWC, established under Articles 32 and 33 of the Charter, adopted a 25-year agenda in 2016 for the long-term and strategic progress in implementing children’s rights in African continent.

Known as “Agenda 2040: Fostering an Africa fit for children”, the Agenda provides a child-centric focus based on Paragraph 53 of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which highlights children’s rights and welfare concerns and envisages an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa, driven by its citizens, and representing a dynamic force in the international arena. Thus, Agenda 2040 is a step towards the implementation of the Charter, which has been ratified by 50 nations, and provides for civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights.

Agenda 2040 is guided by 10 aspirations: the African Children’s Charter, as supervised by the African Children’s Committee to provide an effective continental framework for advancing children’s rights; the existence of an effective child-friendly national legislative, policy and institutional framework in all Member States; the registration of every child’s birth and other vital statistics; every child survives and has a healthy childhood; every child grows up well-nourished and with access to the necessities of life; every child benefits fully from quality education; every child is protected against violence, exploitation, neglect and abuse; children benefit from a child-sensitive criminal justice system; every child is free from the impact of armed conflicts and other disasters or emergencies; and African children’s views matter.

However, despite the awareness created through DAC commemoration, and the lofty visions of the Charter and Agenda 2040, stakeholders believe and it is indeed self-evident that there is still not a long way to the ideal destination sought for African children. UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) reports that of all regions, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of education exclusion. Over one-fifths of children between the ages of about 6 and 11 are out of school, followed by one-third of youth between the ages of about 12 and 14. In fact, nearly 60% of youth between the ages of about 15 and 17 are not in school.

The picture is grimmer for the girl-child. Across the region, UIS estimates that 9 million girls between the ages of about 6 and 11 will never go to school at all, compared to 6 million boys. Their disadvantage starts early. 23% of girls are out of primary school compared to 19% of boys. By the time they hit adolescence, the exclusion rate for girls is 36% compared to 32% for boys.

Conflicts and violent crimes such as terrorism and abductions are also part of the major factors currently militating against education and socio-economic welfare of the African child in general. This newspaper reported in March this year that 618 schools were shut down in the northern states of Niger, Katsina, Zamfara, Kano, and Yobe states due to constant abductions by bandits in Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria. Also, at least 936 students of secondary and tertiary institutions have been abducted between December 2020 and June 5, 2021.

African First Ladies pushes the Agenda
Nevertheless, African First Ladies under the auspices of the African First Ladies Peace Mission, AFLPM, are not relenting in their push for children’s rights and welfare. It rallied children and stakeholders to Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, on the occasion of the 2021 DAC to raise the ante in creating awareness on issues affecting African children and pushing for a better life for them.

Welcoming guests to the event attended by the diplomatic corps, international development partners, NGOs, the Civil Society, school children, Internally Displaced Children, and the Street Children Parliament, among others, the Special Assistant to the Nigerian President on African First Ladies Peace Mission, Dr. Mairo Al-Makura, said the Mission put the event together “to salute the courage of the African child and invest attention in their cause”.

“It is worthy to acknowledge the success, struggle and sacrifice of the African Child across the globe. We have witnessed the rise of the African child to positions of authority just as we have as well seen the undeniable plight of the African child. However, the zeal and spirit of the African child endures and persist in its resolve to thrive. The will of the African child would never be broken”, Dr. Al-Makura stated.

In their goodwill messages, Representatives of the UN Women to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Comfort Lamptey; High Commissioner of Cameroun to Nigeria, represented by Deputy High Commissioner, Njoka Dinka; and the Ambassador of the Republic of Congo, among others, emphasised the need for African children to be heard and also supported to actualise their potentials.

On her part, the First Lady of Nigeria, and Chairperson of the African First Ladies Peace Mission, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, observed that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), classified the child rights under four broad themes: Survival, Development, Protection and Participation, stressing that none must be glossed over.

Mrs. Buhari also called on African governments, stakeholders, and families to continually show deserved commitment to the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child to ensure holistic growth and development of the continent’s children.

She averted their minds to Articles 16 (1) and 20 (1), which elaborately stipulates the roles of government, parents and guardians in protecting the child from all forms of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment and also ensuring a total development and stability of the African child.
The Nigerian First Lady said: “The two Articles remind us of the popular saying ‘charity begins at home’. Parents and Guardians play a vital role in raising children that will grow up to be better citizens as they are the future leaders.

“I therefore call on all parents, guardians and states to take appropriate measures in bringing up our leaders of tomorrow! These rights must therefore be safeguarded by all, and particularly by the family and the state. It is also very important to keep our dear children informed on their basic rights”.
She lamented the prevalence of child labour and the muzzling of children in Africa.

“It is indeed sad to note from research conducted by some organisations that Africa has the largest number of child labourers. 72.1 million African children are estimated to be in child labour and 31.5 million in perilous work. In most African countries, the voices of children have not been heard. Certain cultures and norms equally put children in the continent at a disadvantage.

“We are also aware that every disaster or conflict comes with terrible consequences for children. Besides protecting children from harm whenever we can, it is equally important to help them cope with the shattering effects of violence. This involves setting up child friendly spaces and emergency education
“I urge all stakeholders to always make a difference, as we all know that every child has the right to survive and thrive especially in the face of violence. The African child is portrayed as one whose future is bleak.

“My concern presently is the right of a child to healthy living, right to care, right to go to school without fear of the unknown. I appreciate the effort of governments to secure schools to avoid abductions of children, but I want to appeal to all stakeholders not to leave this aspect to governments alone”.

All hands on deck
While the efforts of the AFLPM stand commended and worthy of emulation; and as the curtains fall on DAC 2021, it is crystal clear that improving the lots of African children requires a multi-stakeholders approach with everyone playing his/her part.

Mrs. Aisha Buhari summed up when she stated: “To ensure that the African Charter for children works, it is the responsibility of all stakeholders to play their role effectively; we must work together to make Africa great!”