The
International Day of the African Child, 16 June, shines the spotlight on the
many challenges African children face due to conflict, poverty, climate change,
inequality.
And now, Covid-19 adds extra burdens.
By Vatican
News
The date
was chosen to celebrate the bravery of thousands of South African children who
took to the streets in the Johannesburg township of Soweto on 16 June 1976, to
peacefully protest the inferior education accorded to them by the apartheid
government. Hundreds of them were shot dead by the police.
Today, it
is an observance that celebrates all the children of Africa and calls for
commitment towards addressing the numerous challenges they face.
The theme
chosen for the 2020 International Day is “Access to a Child-Friendly Justice
System in Africa”. Due to the current Covid-19 crisis, commemorations and
discussions at a continental level are taking place through a webinar.
The theme
aims to examine various aspects of a child-friendly justice system, but the
pandemic has highlighted the need to address a series of faultlines and
frailties that have exposed increased dangers and risks for the most
vulnerable, including children.
Experts
warn that the current crisis might undo decades of progress in child rights,
putting millions of girls at great risk of violence, abuse and exploitation.
They note
that besides losing out on education, girls – particularly in poor and
marginalised communities in Africa – are facing heightened risks of hunger,
child labour, trafficking, early and forced marriage and female genital
mutilation.
On a
continent already battling food insecurity, climate change, conflicts and
economic downturn, the virus is amplifying existing inequalities and affecting
the long-term environment in which African children will grow up.
The
far-reaching effects of Covid-19 are putting top-level scientists, economists
and policy-makers to task in a concerted effort to save the system. Here’s
hoping that they will remember that a whole generation of African children is
at risk of being left behind.
