Government has been petitioned to allow children participation in the selection of national leaders through voting.
Children who gathered to participate in this year’s Day of the African Child commemoration in Ndola petitioned government to review the voting age to 16, to allow children participate in the selection of leaders.
Speaking on behalf of other children, Kanseshi High School Grade 11 pupil, Grace Phiri, regretted that the kevels of child participation in national matters and particularly those relating to children still require to be raised substantially.
“We the children of Zambia, feel that the level of child participation in our matters can still be taken to greater heights, we feel that children should be allowed to vote at the age of 16 to allow them to participate in choosing the leaders of the nation,” she said.
The children also advised government to view them as partners in national development and involve them in matters of decision making at all levels.
The children also challenged parents to discuss HIV/AIDS and issues of Voluntary Counselling and Testing, VCT, openly with children.
“We want our parents to openly and willingly discuss HIV/AIDS and VCT issues with us and not to view it as a taboo,” she said.
Meanwhile, government reiterated its commitment to equip children with ife saving skills to help them grow into responsible citizens capable of contributing to national development.
Youth Sport and Child Development Deputy Minister, Angela Cifire, said this today when she officiated at the commemoration of the Day of the African Child in Ndola this morning.
Ms Cifire explained that government reviewed the national child policy, which now takes on board new issues in the area of child welfare and development such as child headed households, child abuse, HIV/AIDS, Streetism, child labour among others.
Speaking earlier, United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, Deputy Country Representative, Elspeth Erickson, emphasised the need for children to realise their rights, that she said, came with responsibility.
Zambia today joined the rest of the continent in commemorating the International Day for the African Child.
June 16 th was declared the Day of the African Child to commemorate the Killing of innocent school children in Soweto, South Africa, on June 16 1976.
ZANIS/ENDS/PC/ZANIS/SJK
Baiche naimwe what do know?
Fukeni baiche… Concentrate on learning civics, next you’ll be asking to be allowed to smoke and drink at school
Headmasters pliz don’t entice your pupils on things you well know that they can’t handle well. infact the speach was written by the school headteacher. if the pupils come drunk to school & claim to be responsible enough to make decisions wikachita complain iwe headmaster ka?
am i dreaming or was there a story earlier today about teachers abusing students on LT news ??
come on kids be realistic,work on your civics as said,talk about AIDS, road safety childmolestors etc, thats what is killing you, voting PLIZ
Baiche, Vabakulu ni vabakulu! minors voting is not only wishful thinking but a fallacy. Wat do you know about choosing leaders? What devil has gotten into you to entertain such thoughts? Pliz concentrate on your schooling and dont poke yourselves in things you dont know, let alone things you can not handle.
Mulekwata umuchinshi ba ka budo!!
NO ITS OK @ 18.
please children concentrate on sku so thatwhen the time cames you will be ready to make intelligent choices
koma nangu ni ba rights!!!!!!!!!!! kido voting at the age of 16. what are the chances that they wont be told by there fathers and mothers who to vote for? baiche mwaya sana. tekanyeni bola ni pansi..ok talk about i want to cross the road look right look left again and then cross the road. You do not need to wait if there is a car coming just look twice n cross.
Zambia has not yet reached that state bafana! We still have another about 100 years ahead of us before we can start thinking about allowing under 18yrs to be involved in decision making positions. Relax as of now.
Eish….even them kids have notices how ineffective and incompetent adults are in voting them Politicians who act like JELITA & MULENGA
Give them a Half vote. these votes should work as tie breakers in case of tie.. But i would seriously take te=he kids demands. at 16, they know what the country should be like..
If they can have sex at 16 why shouldn’t the be allowed to vote at 16?
#12 and 13 precisely, why should we have these disparities at 16 someone is able to make a meaningful decision I think even Marriage the legal age is 16 or is it to have sex! Balekeni bana imwe bakulu mwafilwa
LT please check your grammar
Your title should have been ”Children URGE” not ”Children URGES”
Children is plural so it shouldnt go with an S at the end. Come on!
I really would like to know the editors of Lt if at all there are any.
sixteen is too young.they can easily be manipulated they should be asking for books.
imwe ba kadoli lol……we are proud that u are interested in voting..but u know that cant happen..But we would love to hear yo opinions on these *****s in Government coz yes yo voice does matter..now go home its 17:00 hrs the littles is on…
…i dont think this site has any editors at all…i mean, i can say anything i like here…do website regulations exist in zambia..coz this is not the way…
well,just from the story it shows that children can easly be mislead but their teachers. Pupils buy good grades in class by having sex with a teacher as early as 12 years this makes them feel matured, because they can handle a man of the same age as their parents. A Teacher is suppose to lead by example, let the govnt investigate this issue and bring the person who wrote this story and gave it to pupils to book coz they are misleading our children.
Z twalasebana.no wonder castro is national fyakuti..
Iye ifyaiche ifi…on the double, quick! March! One, two, left, right…20 frog jumps! And now sit down and behave! Ukutumpa!
The meaning of children could be several.1,Between birth and puberty.2,Somebody not of age.3,Human offspring.In this vain i do not understand which children Grace Phiri was alluding to.Like children in number one and two cannot be entrusted with any national duties for they are immature and not of age.Chilbren in number three is where all of us falls for we are all of human parents.If she meant people of the age group of 14 and above those at secondary and not out of school must be given a right to vote,i definetly would agree with her because they make informed decisions than those who are in villages who depend on food to vote though not there fault again.These…..
FRom #22.
children at secondary level according to the environment in our nation are far much better than those politicians have to buy beer(chibuku)for in order to vote for them.I think if more debates were encouraged in schools if a parallel parliamen was encourage in schools then we would have well-bred children who would understand their nation.It would even make more sense to restrict voting to thoes at secondary, colleges, univasities and those in life who have attained such institutions.This i suppose would help our country because presidents even parliamentarians would be voted on merit.
#23 Neddy…you are playing these politicians will always find a way to get to them kid. Instead of Chibuku, politician will need to fook out a little more money to buy them kids, lunch(mwalishibafye utu kashana ifyo twa temwa MacDolnads), cellphones, computer games, etc. just to get their votes. Unless if you tell me kids are unbribebal