A declaration calling for “action by all African governments and other stakeholders to take immediate steps to end all forms of violence against children” was signed by the delegates of an international children's rights conference in Ethiopia in May.
The conference, which attracted 400 participants from 25 countries, was held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa and was organized by The African Child Policy Forum, an independent, pan-African advocacy group working for children's rights. Participants spoke about violence against children, and especially girls, in Africa.
It featured the voices of women activists, policy makers, government leaders, youth and human rights groups, and complements an ongoing UN initiative to study violence against children.
“The situation of African girls is especially critical as a result of discriminatory and patriarchal practices, inequality, exclusion, inadequate legal protection, lack of educational opportunities, the disproportionate impact HIV and AIDS has on them, as well as the persistence of poverty,” stated the participants. “Failure to address these situations constitutes not only a grave violation of human rights, but threatens the very fabric of society.”
The declaration will be submitted to the 61st session of the UN General Assembly later this year and used as a vehicle for campaigning with African governments to develop effective policies and programs against violence against girls.
According to the World Health Organization, as many as 40 million children under the age of 15 are victims of violence every year. –with files from The African Child Policy Forum
