Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) has appealed for concerted efforts to end violence against children. Kagera Regional PCCB Chief, Mr John Joseph told reporters that the ongoing campaign aimed at ensuring that violence against children is brought to an end.
“It is encouraging that people are now reporting cases of violence against children… such development should be sustained in order to fight the vice which sometimes is done by close relatives,” he said.
Mr Joseph noted that a recent study revealed that divorce and some issues arising in families are among the causes leading to the increased number of street children.
Meanwhile, about 5,866 children in Ngara district are living in difficult circumstances and most of them are victims of gender violence.
Ngara District Social Welfare Development Officer, Musa Bagondoza revealed this during celebrations to mark the International African Child Day, noting that some of the children were exposed to incidents of gender violence.
“Some of the children have been abandoned, as a result they are forced to live in the streets begging while others are not attending school and some of them end up being raped by either relatives or neighbors,” he said.
He appealed to family members to take necessary steps to safeguard the welfare of children and ensure that they get proper upbringing from the grassroots level and enroll them in school.
He urged residents in Kagera Region to avoid stigmatizing street children, and instead they should regard them as their own children. According to statistics, nearly 3 in 10 girls and approximately 1 in 7 boys in Tanzania have experienced violence prior to the age of 18 in school settings.
Every June 16, nations commemorate the children who were killed during the Soweto uprisings in South Africa in 1976, when thousands of black students marched for their right to a fairer education. The International Day of the African Child allows nations to reflect on the condition of children in Africa and to examine strategies to continue to improve their education.
It is estimated that about 34 million children of primary school age in Sub Saharan Africa are currently out of school. This dynamic creates an urgent need for innovative, sustainable interventions that address barriers to children’s and youth’s empowerment in Africa.
Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) 6: states…..parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse.
