According to WHO, the term health is defined to mean, 'complete physical, psychological and mental well being and not merely absence of disease and infirmity.' Bearing this in mind, we must realize that children need holistic nurturing so that their physical, social and cultural rights can be optimized. We fail them immensely when we ignore this.
Most African countries have failed to initiate social legal measures to protect and promote the rights of the child as enunciated in the Riyadh Guidelines, Beijing Rules and UN Rules For The Protection Of Juveniles Deprived Of Their Liberty.
I long for the day that all government ministries, departments and institutions will come together and adopt a child focused approach in their policies and activities -it will make the live of our children that much easier. We must all endeavour to heed our first lady, Lucy Kibaki’s rallying call to treat all children equally and to give them tender loving care in our homes, families and communities. We must open up our hearts, homes and hearths to children because who knows, tomorrow, it could by your child who needs a stranger to open a door and an arm for him/her.
The article by Afua Twum-Danso, accurately reflects what is happening to children all over Africa. Here in Kenya, the Children's Act 2000 captures the ideals set by CRC - including the four key pillars of non-discrimination, best interest of child, survival and development, and the right to be heard and listened to - and yet this has not brought an end to the suffering of the majority of our children. Every day in our city streets, we meet street children and the children's department does ...read more [4]
Links
[1] https://www.pambazuka.org/taxonomy/term/4149
[2] https://www.pambazuka.org/taxonomy/term/3312
[3] https://www.pambazuka.org/article-issue/275
[4] https://www.pambazuka.org/print/37111
[5] https://www.pambazuka.org/taxonomy/term/3274
[6] http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category.php/letters/37993