How Emmanuel Children’s Home marked International Day of the African Child
Children from Emmanuel Children’s Home, Kayole enjoyed a memorable prelude to the International Day of the African Child on Saturday whose highlight was a play at the University of Nairobi (UoN) grounds, courtesy of Infinix.
Infinix has been supporting the home for the last two years and the theme at the brand’s Day of the African Child was “Education is Key”.
The day is celebrated across the continent and commemorates the spirit of the South African children who sparked the Soweto uprising of 1976 many of whom gave their lives.
SEXUAL VIOLATIONS
On the other hand, Day of the African Child further presents an opportunity to reflect on the lived realities of children in Africa.
On Sunday, a lobby group – Equality Now – also joined Kenyans in celebrating Day of the African Child, reiterating its call to authorities to ensure that the Sexual Offenses Act and other related laws designed to protect girls from sexual violations, were fully implemented and enforced.
Programme Officer of End Sexual Violence, Naitore Nyamu, noted that although Kenya already had in place numerous progressive laws to curb sexual and gender-based violence, systemic failures by the country’s justice system, coupled with shocking levels of impunity, have worsened an already dire situation.
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
Nyamu urged President Uhuru Kenyatta, the Ministries of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs, Interior and Coordination of National Government, Health, the State Law Office and the Department of Justice and the National Gender and Equality Commission to ensure that girls were protected from sexual and gender-based violence without any reservations.
Kenya is party to a raft of regional and international conventions including the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women but similarly this robust legal frameworks are not enforced.
The Day of the African child (DAC) is commemorated every year on 16th June by all member states of African Union (AU), and its corresponding partners.