The time to act is now

The Day of the African child, celebrated on 16th June to commemorate the Soweto uprising of 1976 in which more than 500 school children were massacred by ‘Apartheid’ South Africa as they protested against poor quality of education, is here with us again. And the theme, ‘Right to protection: Stop violence against children’ couldn’t have been more appropriate. Unfortunately, thirty years after the Soweto uprising, violence continues to be visited on African children, with a number of them being killed or maimed for the rest of their lives by the very people who are supposed to protect them. The children are not safe anywhere. Not even in our homes. And children’s institutions, which are supposed to offer a safe haven, are now dungeons of death.

Still violence against children has now taken an ugly form, notably sexual abuse, which is now rampant in a number of African countries, Kenya included. One can only hope that the president speedily assents to the Sexual Offenses Bill, currently before Kenya’s parliament. This would go a long way in protecting children against the perpetrators of such heinous crimes. The government also needs to move fast to stamp out sex tourism at its coastal towns, where children are abused by old foreigners who promise them heaven. Kenya’s tourism minister Maurice Dzoro deserves praise for recently raiding a sexual den and rescuing children from the hands of paedophyles.

As we celebrate the Day of the African child, African governments need to take stock of the situation and ask themselves what they have done to protect their children against violence. For it is the responsibility of these governments to provide an enabling environment in which children can grow and nurture their talents unfettered. On this score, it is gratifying to note that on 27 July, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Kenya’s Department of children’s services will launch a major campaign aimed at awareness creation and fundraising for purposes of protecting children.