THEY IS NEED TO INVEST IN CHILD EDUCATION

By Daily News Reporter

Despite having progressive laws and policies that protect children from different forms of violence, Zambia is still experiencing challenges to ensure a protective environment. Violence against children remains a major concern and a daily reality for many children in Zambia.

According to the Violence Against Children Study (2014). About 41 per cent of girls and 49 per cent of boys report having experienced or witnessed physical violence at household level and about 65 per cent of children indicate they have been bullied in school.

Moreover, child marriage continues to have high prevalence with 29 per cent of girls and 2.8 per cent of boys married by age 18. Teenage pregnancy has remained stagnant at 29 per cent. There are also challenges with data availability and accessibility, coordination, and fragmentation of service provision.

 

”There is a need to accelerate the implementation of the Children’s Code Act to better coordinate the efforts, and to invest more in integrated child protection services which involve many sectors (social welfare, child protection, education, health, home affairs, labour, tourism and justice)  at central, provincial and district levels,” (The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Violence Against Children, Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid,)

 

Children, who represent about 53 per cent of the population, cannot be seen as a problem to solve, but as an asset to invest in. And they must be part of the solution to end Violence Against Children. “