By: Lloyd M’bwana
The country’s street children’s rescuer and charitable organization, Chisomo Children Club (CCC) has vehemently asked the government to start issuing national Identity Cards (IDs) as a control measure, amid escalation of human tracking syndicate whose victims are the children.
The call comes ahead of the 6th International Day for Street Children which falls on April 12 every year aimed at providing a platform for millions of street children around the world to speak out that their rights are not ignored including education, shelter among others.
With this year’s theme; “Identity Campaign”, envisages challenges, negative perception of street children, highlights their potential and encourages the general public and decision makers to look at the children without preconceived ideas that they are no longer invisible whose main event is slated for the commercial city of Blantyre.
In an exclusive interview with The Maravi Post on Friday, April 08, in the capital Lilongwe ahead of the International Day for Street Children, Charles Gwengwe, Chisomo Children Club’ Executive Director bemoaned increase cases of human trafficking due to number of street kids who are untraceable as they lack national identity cards.
Gwengwe noted that human trafficking perpetrators take advantage of the country’s porous identification system by taking children for various exploitations including sexual and domestic abuses for person interests.
“Rescuing children from human trafficking perpetrators on the streets and providing shelter, psycho-social supports aren’t enough to attain children’s universal rights but extra gear must be implored on identification for easy tracing them over are victimized.
“Even the nature of our education doesn’t favor unprivileged or vulnerable children but those living in comfortable life. Once, children are move out of streets which follows with psycho-social supports, they need further financial support for proper upbringing minus that all these efforts will be in vain.
“Therefore, we need to think outside the box with comprehensive approaches in total transformation of our society where families will start embracing the need to be responsible on their children for the future of this nation”, appeals Gwengwe.
Later the Maravi Post caught up with Chikondi Mponda Early Child Development Officer in the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare who assured the nation that government was along the clock that social-economic protection measures including social cash transfer program reach the intended beneficiaries.
“While nation identification process is under pilot phase, the ministry put cautioning measures including social cash transfers which has proven to be the best remedy of empowering children headed families following the death of their parents. Only that the demand for these services are too big but will try to reach many communities”, assures Mponda.
The Consortium for Street Children (CSC), a charitable organization around the world whose objective is to amplify the voices of street children, promote their rights and improve their lives launched International Day for Street Children in 2011.
Since then, support has grown and the day is currently celebrated in over 130 countries by street children and their countries in addressing numerous myths the society perceive including street children live on street are bustard, street children are boys, criminals and children are pushed onto the street because of family breakups among others.
According to CSC 2014, 2015 and 2016 reports still shows growing number of children living in street including Malawi which tops the list in SADC region as over 60 percent of children leave for their homes to streets with Lilongwe having 30%.