Chasing children from home is a violation of human rights

Eastern Province Regional Human Rights Commission Officer -in-Charge, Lisbon Chaamwe has said his office will establish the truth about an allegation that two orphaned juveniles, a boy and a girl aged nine and 10 respectively were chased away from home by their grandparents in a named village in chief Mpezeni’s area.

He said the act was a violation of human rights and assured the people in the area that the commission would find out the root cause of the incident.

Mr. Chaamwe was responding to a concern raised by memberS of Good Hope Children Home who donateD school requirements to 104 orphaned children of Mwami Central, Walira and Mwami basic schools.

He encouraged parents and guardians to be knowledgeable about basic human rights which should not be violated and avoid being jailed for five years if found guilty.

He described the dejection of vulnerable of children as a sad development and called on government to put such children under social welfare.

Moving a vote of thanks, Dailesi Lungu, one of the members of the orphanage located in Damiano village in chief Mpezeni’s area said people in the area contributed resources and constructed a community school in 2002.

Mrs. Lungu said whether orphaned or not, there is need to encourage children to go to school to help them improve their living standards and those of their parents.

She said it is saddening that some parents have the habit of marrying off their daughters below the age of 15 years, who he said usually are subjected to surgical operation when giving birth.

She said temptations to indulge in making love and marry are high in the area, forcing early marriages. She appealed to government to procure desks for the school to provide children a favorable learning environment.

The orphanage’s Coordinator, Syvelia Mugala said the biggest challenge they are facing is the lack of decent clothing for children and the inability of parents to purchase uniforms and other school requirements for their children.

Ms. Mugala said once proposals presented to various Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) and government departments are approved and funded, her organisation would construct some more classroom blocks at the community school to create more school places.

She said the other problem her organization is facing is that of lack of a utility vehicle for use in reaching all parts of the catchment area which she described as vast.

She said her organization which was formed in 2007 received free exercise books procured by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare, which were distributed to orphans in the area.

She said the second donation was a grant of K2.1 million provided by the Ministry of Sports, Youth and Child Development, which was used for the purchase of text books, uniforms and jerseys for 104 orphans at Mwami Central and Walira basic schools.

DM/PK/ZANIS