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Lovemore Ranga Mataire Group Political Editor
AFRICA commemorated the Day of the African Child yesterday with different activities meant to highlight the plight of the younger generation who are the custodians of the continent’s liberation gains.
Years after the end of colonial rule, the continent’s younger and larger population still grapples with a myriad of challenges ranging from early marriages, unemployment, child labour, drug abuse, poverty and subjection to all forms of violence.
While these challenges are also prevalent in other continents, they appear most pronounced on the African continent because of generally under-performing economies that directly impact on the well-being of the African child.
This year’s commemoration of the African Child is running under the theme: “Eliminating Harmful Practices Affecting Children”, an appropriate theme given how the scourge of substance abuse has become so pervasive across all classes.
In Zimbabwe, just like in other developing nations, the scourge of substance abuse has become such a menace needing urgent and holistic intervention by the State and other relevant stakeholders. Sadly, these practices are mainly fuelled by adults who sell the harmful substances to impressionable unsuspecting young people. President Mnangagwa has on numerous occasions raised concern on the issue of substance and alcohol abuse among the youths. In June last year, the President raised concern over the smuggling of drugs into the country saying his administration would take stern measures to stem the problem.
The President’s concern followed the arrest of a woman at the Robert Mugabe International Airport for attempting to smuggle US$7.5 million worth of cocaine into the country.
“Unbecoming trends such as the alarming entry of destructive drugs into our jurisdiction threaten the fate of our youth. There is a need to redouble our collective right against this new phenomenon of drugs and other harmful substance abuse. My government will thus continue to take stern measures to stamp out this growing threat,” the President said.
And indeed stern measures are being taken as the Government has declared war on drug peddlers. Police have intensified the fight against narcotics among children, as young as 11 years are being said to be taking drugs in the ghettos and affluent suburbs.
Statistics from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) shows that 7 323 people were arrested mid-last year with the majority of cases being brought for prosecution.
However, despite the grim statistics, Zimbabwe is enhancing the protection of children from various forms of abuse by enacting the relevant statutory instruments that safeguards and protects the rights of children.
The country has a legal and policy framework to protect the rights of children living with or without their parents. The rights are enshrined in the Children’s Act and the country’s constitution. The Children’s Act provides for the establishment of children’s courts: makes provision for the protection, welfare and supervision of children and juveniles. It also provides for the establishment, recognition and registration of certain institutions and institutes for the reception and custody of children and juveniles after their reception in such institutions and institutes.
The country’s constitution also protects children’s rights. Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No 20) Act of 2013 prioritises children’s rights in line with the adopted Convention of the Rights of the Child. Various other laws have also been passed in recent years to protect children.
Before Amendment (No 20) of 2013, children’s rights were not set out in the Constitution of Zimbabwe but with the amendment in place, children’s rights have now been set out in the superior law of the land. Section 19 (1) clearly sets out that the State needs to adopt policies and measures that ensure that matters relating to children and their best interests are implemented.
In Section 19 (2), the Government of President Mnangagwa has undertaken to ensure that children enjoy family or parental care, or appropriate care when removed from the family environment, have shelter and basic nutrition, health care and social services; are protected from maltreatment, neglect or any form of abuse and have access to appropriate education and training.
The State in Zimbabwe plays an active and great role in the protection of children’s rights. More than just paying lip-service to the welfare of children, the Government has been on a warpath against paedophiles who indulge in sex with minors.
The Government has also taken strong measures to educate some religious sects who are in the habit of violating children’s rights to education and marrying off their girl children to older men.
The reason why the Government of Zimbabwe takes such an active role in the protection of children’s rights is obvious. These children are the custodians of the future and as such they need a solid base of foundation where they can flourish with the full consciousness of their history. The fact that the continent is free from direct colonial rule does not imply that citizens must sit on their laurels. It is the youths who have the mandate of continuing to safeguard the territorial integrity and sovereignty of their nations.
The youths need to be conscious of the fact that the West finds it easy to manipulate and dominate the continent if base or orientation is not solid. After independence, the West created and has to this day expanded and maintained a deadly network of puppets and collaborators among some of our leaders through whom it implements its exploitative schemes on the continent. The future of Africa and that of Zimbabwe lies in young people who must be conscious of external and internal negative forces combining efforts to reverse the gains of independence. The future of Africa lies in youths who realise the value of unity and are mass-oriented and fully committed to economic independence and to a human-centred development process.
They need to guard against the neo-colonial mentality which helps perpetuate neo-colonialism, racist domination and manipulation of Africa and its people globally.
However, this consciousness can only be imparted in the youths if governments create policy frameworks that safeguards their grooming into responsible citizens of tomorrow.
Online Reporter