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Children in Nthabiseng discuss child protection strategies
By Makopano Letsatsi on 8 Aug 2007
Nthabiseng Area Development Program (ADP), 150 kilometers north of the capital Maseru, convened a children’s dialogue held at Mopeli on July 30, 2007. The theme of the children’s dialogue was ‘Protect children from any form of abuse’.
During the dialogue, the children were grouped from different centers according to their age (10-12, 13-15, 16-18) and discussed various issues related to children. During the discussions children were required to mention common forms of child abuse in their area, how child abuse is related to HIV, where to report the abuse and suggest what could be done to eradicate the problem to ensure safety of children.
The most reported form of abuse was rape. Others were denied to attend school, denied food, denied rights to play with other children, denied to express their views as well as child battering.
During the group reporting children indicated that children are also vulnerable to HIV because they are the targets of rape especially children in the child-headed households and children who walk long distance to school.
The children mention the consequences of abuse include teenage pregnancies, HIV and AIDS as well as other sexual transmitted diseases. They therefore called on children to report any form of abuse to the chiefs or at a police station for help adding that in the case of rape they should go to hospital immediately for medical examination.
They recommended that children should avoid remaining alone in the house and also should not walk alone when they are on their way to and from school. The children called on World Vision and their children’s committee in the ADP to sensitize adults on children’s rights to be able to fulfill their responsibilities of caring for children.
The Nthabiseng ADP Manager Ms. Mafupu Mokoena said World Vision is empowering children to know their rights so that they can learn about their responsibilities. She warned children not to misuse their rights to disrespect adults.
The district police representative from the Child and Gender Protection Unit (CGPU) said their unit was established in 2000 to protect the rights of children, women and men from any form of violation. He asked parents and teachers to protect children’s rights by ensuring that all abuse cases are reported to the police.
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