Southern African countries challenged to protect children against violence

Her Majesty Queen ’Masenate Mohato Bereng Seeiso delivers a keynote address at the launch of the campaign

Child rights advocates have challenged Southern African governments to end violence against children in line with World Vision’s five-year campaign entitled ‘It takes a world to end violence against children’.

The recent Southern Africa regional launch in Johannesburg, South Africa forms part of World Vision’s rollout of the organisation’s global campaign to end violence against children.

The launch drew representatives from the African Union, Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), governments and non-governmental organisations as well as children.

The campaign comes against the backdrop of prevalent forms of violence against children in the region, as well as the rest of the continent that include child labour, child marriage, sexual and physical violence, female genital mutilation and vulnerability caused by internal displacement.

Goodwill Ambassador for Ending Child 
Marriage -Ms Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda

African Union Goodwill Ambassador for Ending Child Marriage, Ms Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda emphasised the need for governments to draft and implement legal mechanisms to tackle violence against children.

“We need quality laws and policies that can prevent violence against children, protect children who have experienced exploitation and violence; and those that can provide mitigation for those who are going through recovery,” she said.

SADC Parliamentary Forum regional chair for women’s caucus, Dr Jessie Kabwila encouraged role players to transform World Vision’s campaign into a movement arguing movements had the capacity to outlive campaigns. 

SADC Parliamentary Forum regional chair for
women’s caucus, Dr Jessie Kabwila

Dr Kabwila implored Southern African governments to implement pro-child protection policies in line with SADC proposals. “The model law of ending child marriages was moved by SADC Parliamentary Forum. Can we now have a timeline of when all the countries are going to be compliant, in the region?” she implored delegates. 

World Vision Southern African interim regional leader, Jean-Claude Mukadi said World Vision’s campaign to end violence against children stemmed from disturbing high figures of children suffering from various forms of violence, globally.

Mukadi said more than half the world’s children, constituting one billion children between the ages of two and 17 years, experience some form of violence every year.

World Vision Southern African interim 
regional leader, Jean-Claude Mukadi

“In Southern Africa, nearly 40 per cent of women are married by the age of 18, and 10 per cent by age 15. Further, a recent study illustrated that 1 in 3 children in South Africa are victims of sexual violence and physical abuse before they reach the age of 18. Furthermore, more than 10 percent and 15 percent report cases of neglect and emotional abuse respectively,” said Mukadi.

Her Majesty the Queen of Lesotho, Masenate Mohato Seeiso, who was the Guest of honour, applauded World Vision for spearheading the campaign to end violence against children.

“I strongly believe that, effective implementation of this campaign will play a vital role in strengthening partnerships for meaningful participation in programmes that are meant to create a violence free environment for children in the Southern African region and beyond.

“In our African society, as in many other cultures of the world, children are a treasure and our future. Children, therefore need to be protected and taken good care of. Violence against children should be a taboo,” she said.

A United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children, estimates that 500 million to 1.5 billion children experience violence annually worldwide.

World Vision’s campaign, It takes a world to end violence against children, aims to catalyse a global movement of people committed to keeping children safe from harm. Its name reflects the fact that no one person, group or organisation can solve this problem alone; but collective action is needed.

World Vision’s Southern Africa regional launch follows a continental launch held in February 2017 at the African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa. This was followed by a global launch in March and several others around the world.

The Southern Africa region launch took stock of progress made by Southern African countries, following the Addis Ababa pledges, in addressing violence against children.

It is hoped that the campaign will impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of children by making a significant contribution towards their wellbeing in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the AU’s Agenda 2063.

World Vision’s campaign aligns with and contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 16.2 to “end the abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence and torture against children.”  

In the Southern Africa countries where World Vision operates, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia will tackle child marriages. Swaziland and Zimbabwe will fight sexual violence, the Democratic Republic of Congo will contribute towards combating child labour while South Africa will wrestle sexual and physical violence.

World Vision is a global Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. For over 60 years, World Vision has dedicated its efforts to securing the well-being of children, promoting their rights and participation across 100 countries in which it works.  In the Southern Africa region, World Vision has 216 large-scale area programmes across nine countries.