From: Merhawie (merhawie@gmail.com)
Date: Tue Jul 21 2009 - 18:33:11 EDT
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/eritrea_50307.html
‘Children’s Forum’ asks UNICEF to help foster equality and rights in Eritrea
By Kutloano Leshomo
In the run-up to the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child – a landmark international agreement on the basic human rights of all
children – UNICEF is featuring a series of stories about progress made and
challenges that remain. Here is one of those stories.
ASMARA, Eritrea, 21 July 2009 – About 100 children from all over Eritrea
took part in the country’s first-ever Children’s Forum, organized by UNICEF
and the National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students earlier this month.
Held in the capital, Asmara, the 9-10 July meeting was part of the ongoing
mid-term review of the programme of cooperation between the Government of
the State of Eritrea (GSE) and UNICEF.
The boys and girls, all between 8 and 10 years of age, came from a wide
range of socio-economic backgrounds. Among them were children from rural
areas and towns, children both in and out of school, disabled young people
and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and poverty.
Need for education on rights
Among the objectives of the Children’s Forum were to:
Provide an opportunity for children to influence the content and direction
of the GSE/UNICEF country programme
Contribute to realizing children’s right to participate in decisions that
affect their lives
Ensure that young voices are heard by UNICEF and its partners.
During their deliberations, the children discussed issues cutting across all
country programme priorities in Eritrea. They decried early marriage and the
scourge of rape and abuse. They noted that while their views are generally
respected at school, their voices are never heard in the community. And they
pointed out that neither they nor their parents are sufficiently educated
about child rights.
Going to the grassroots
At the end of the meeting, the participants produced a statement that will
be given to all stakeholders who work on children’s issues. It expressed
appreciation for UNICEF’s work in Eritrea but urged the agency to evaluate
its programmes at the grassroots level in order to ensure that they benefit
the poorest children.
“We call upon UNICEF to play a greater role and provide more resources to
make all children equal,” the participants said, adding that the country
needs a government “ministry for children” to give youth issues greater
priority.
The forum participants seemed well informed about HIV and AIDS but noted
that cultural barriers still make it difficult to discuss issues of
sexuality with their parents. To address the problem, they urged UNICEF to
actively raise awareness by using the mass media and conducting workshops
for parents.
‘The future of Eritrea’
The children’s went on to call for child-friendly health services, as well
as more schools and sanitary facilities across the country.
While thanking their government for its efforts to improve their status, the
forum participants asked that young people be made partners in their
country’s development – because “the future of Eritrea lies in the
well-being of children.”
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----