LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-SOS Children’s Villages with its partners on Monday launched an initiative that seek authority, communities and families to urgently provide conducive environment for children who are being victimized from various social-economic ills in the country.
Dubbed as “No Child should grow up alone” campaign aims at ensavaging children from being distitutes.
The initiative launch comes amid shrinking of parenthood as some children are abandoned and forsaken by parents, communities and the state.
This has ended them into streets begging for survival consequently subjective to torture in various forms.
The initiative which runs till 2020, expects to strengthen structures that nurtures Children with necessarily resources.
The launch of the campaign coincided with the commemoration Universal Day of the Child” which United Nations put since 1959 and it falls on November 20, yearly.
Addressing the news conference in the capital Lilongwe, Hope Msosa, SOS Children’s Villages National Program Director said its high time the nation could take serious children welfare who end up into destitute due to parental hood.
Msosa osaid that every child and young person need a caring family environment and supportive community to look out for their best interest and help them develop to their full potential.
He therefore urged governments to meet their international obligations to protect children and fulfil their rights as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
“For SOS Children’s Villages, children who are considered to have lost parental care, are those who do not live with either of their biological parents because their parents are unwilling or unable to adequately care for them.
“The campaign therefore wants all stakeholders from family, community and state level to do something urgently to change the story and ensure we achieve the No child alone desire,” said Msosa.
Sharing the same sentiment, Clement Makuwa, Young Politician Union National Coordinator said shrinking opportunities for youth skills development and education is another serious area.
Makuwa added that this shows there is a sense of laxity on the part of the duty bearers by providing a promising social-economic environment for young people in the country.
According to SOS Children’s Villages research shows that one in every ten world’s children are growing up alone.
In Malawi, a high proportion of girls (65%) and boys (35%) under the age of 18 have experienced violence; 25% are used as child labour and 25% of girls are at risk of early marriages.
Its also estimated that 12,000 children live in child headed households and approximately over 10,000 children are in institutional care.
Many of these children are living without any form of protection or support making them vulnerable to abuse exploitation and neglect.
