Save the Children-Zambia has launched the Baseline Study Report on the National Child Protection System in Zambia.
The Report which was released in Lusaka today under the theme: ‘Protecting Children in Zambia from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation,’ revealed that many Zambian children have continued to face multiple protection problems.
Speaking during the launch, Sport, Youth and Child Development Minister, Kenneth Chipungu said Zambian children have continued to face challenges of alcohol and drug abuse, inadequate access to quality health, education and impact of disease.
Mr. Chipungu said these challenges have posed a great concern to the country and was limiting young people from realising their potential.
He called for more investment in child survival, protection and development for the attainment of national development.
Mr. Chipungu said this in a speech read on his behalf by his Deputy, Mundia Ndalamei.
He however, stated that Government had remained fully committed to the improvement of children’s welfare in the country.
He said Government had included a chapter on children and youths in the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP) and was also reviewing legislation pertaining to children to ensure maximum sentence for perpetrators of child violence.
Mr. Chipungu added that Cabinet had also approved the establishment of Zambia Council for the Child which he said would strengthen coordination and regulatory framework.
And speaking earlier, Save the Children Deputy Country Director, Petronella Mayeya bemoaned lack of specific child protection policies in the country.
Ms. Mayeya said although the country had ratified many key international instruments on child protection and human rights, there were still gaps as these instruments have not been domesticated or turned into law.
“Although Zambia has ratified many of the key internationals instruments related to child protection and human rights, there are gaps in the domestication of this into national law. There are a number of pieces of legislation that cover matters related to children, yet currently no single legislation exists that harmonizes approaches and clearly outlines roles and responsibility,” she said.
She cited other problems as the conflict in laws between customary and the statutory law on issues like early marriages.
He said more needed to be done to address this especially that children made about 54 percent of the country’s population.
The study was also conducted in two other countries in the region; South Africa and Swaziland.
[ZANIS]
This is a positive approach form both parties. may I suggest that Govt embark on a joint funded project with Save the Children to conduct research on some of the factors that lead to the issues attributed to in their report. For instance rearch on youth and crime, wuold give results of what maesures to take and implement into policy or programs to initiate in order to reduce youth crime. The other aspect would be research on impact of broken homes, low income on children behaviour. The outcome of such would definately shed light on what policies to formulate to further protect children. This would also be benficial to the many unemployed youths involved in such research to better understand their plight and make amends or assist others to change.
Another report that will soon be gathering dust in those old shelves.if we want a better way of protecting children,then we need to start with the parents.empower the parents to the children then all the issues highlighted in the report will be solved.
I can only imagine how much money was spent on this report and how much will a single child benefit from that. Dead AID!
No.1 and No.2 – What are needed are: jobs, jobs, jobs! Jobs for the youth leaving secondary school; jobs for the youth leaving higher education; and jobs for parents/guardians of these youths! The Zambian economy has not created enough jobs despite high economic growth rates. Formal sector jobs have remained stagnant at 500 000 since the 1970s and only peaked at 650 000 during the parastatal days. So new economic ventures are needed to replace the parastatals and created more jobs, jobs, jobs!
Gay people are sick sub-animals.Anyone on the thread ever seen a Pig or Dog stuffing its hardened pipe into the a.s.s. of its fellow male Pig/Dog? Sickos is the best description of gays, infact they should be quarantined so that they dont pollute this earth.
#5 what would you do if your son turned out to be gay one day? (mind you homosexuality is not a choice) Will you caged him like an african dog? Not only children but gays too, must be protected from people like VJ Rigger!!!