Did you know that on 16th June every year the world celebrates the International Day of The African Child? When I was invited to a conference about “Day of the African Child” I had no clue what it was about. I did a quick search on Google and got my answer; It is a special day, dedicated to celebrating the African Child, a time for the world to reflect on the children’s rights, progress made towards creating an enabling environment for children to grow and thrive, and the barriers they continue to face. The theme of this year was Eliminating Harmful Practices Affecting Children: Progress on Policy and Practice since 2013.
Over the years, I am proud to see the creation of many Africa-Led Movements to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child Marriage, driven by courageous and tenacious survivors across the most affected countries in Africa. Young people have also been the heart of sustainable development. Today’s generation continues to work towards breaking the cycle of these harmful practices. Many of them work at the community/grassroots level and lead conversations on harmful cultural practices, facilitate educational sessions, and support survivors and victims of human rights violations. Thus, they have gained confidence and momentum in recent years with backing from national, regional, and international stakeholders.
So, where do we go wrong? Many challenges underline the remarkable progress. Children’s dreams are shattered and their innocence robbed. Survivors who are committed to ending harmful practices get damaged emotionally damaged while working in communities with harmful cultural practices. They say you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. As a young person, I believe that there is a need for a new generation of leaders in the politics and development agenda. Why? Bringing new perspectives on leadership, fresh commitment, new tactics for social change, especially leveraging the technology, and most importantly, new collaborations and networking.
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| Christine and Edwin during the Day of the African Child event at Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi |
Young people can engage in social movements, leverage diverse media tools to enhance awareness, amplify the movement's voices, and share the stories that they are fiery about. Governments and the relevant agencies must invest in youth, as it is critical in ending harmful social-cultural practices. They have been powerful agents of social change in movements that transformed social and cultural institutions throughout human history. Meaningful participation of youth in policy spaces that speak to their needs towards ending harm is critical. We will reach our desired destination only if we decide to invest in the right people, make sound decisions today, engage in the right spaces, and be a productive and responsible generation. Young people have the power to change the tide of how we see things and create a safe space for the African child.
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