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CHILD RIGHTS : HOW WILL AFRICAN COUNTRIES VOTE ?

The GMC itself is a coalition of NGOs, Civil Society Organizations, youth organizations, politicians and the media. It came into in existence with the first declaration of the rights of the child in 1923 but was officially recognised during the drafting of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1989. In Kenya, the movement was launched on 29th March 2001 at a ceremony presided over by Home Affairs minister Mr. Noah Katana Ngala.

As part of the global campaign to make the world a better place for the children to live in, the GMC on the 26th April 2001 launched a worldwide signature campaign known as the "say yes for children". But even before the launch, attention was already being focused on critical issues such as child survival and development, poverty eradication, mitigation of the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS, education for all children, debt relief, protection of the environment for children, gender issues and conflict resolution. The aim of the "say yes campaign" is to give as many people as possible, especially young people, a chance to voice their agreement with key imperatives that together constitute the rallying call of the GMC. Just as Amnesty International gathered over two million signatures for the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the "say yes" campaign will send a clear message to world leaders at the special session.

During the ballot, voters will be required to select only three out of ten issues which they feel are the most urgent in their country, as far as child rights are concerned. The ten issues are leave no child out, put children first, care for every child, fight for HIV/AIDS, stop harming and exploiting children, listen to children, educate every child, protect children from war, protect the earth for children and fight poverty: invest in children.

As far as exploitation of children is concerned many African countries have yet to address the problem of child labour. Due to poverty, many children are forced to drop out of school and join the labour market at a very tender age. Others, once orphaned, have no alternative but to fend for themselves after their relatives plunder their late parents earthly possessions. A glaring case of child labour came to light in Mid April when a Benin businessman Mr. Staniclas Abadtan and two others were accused of organizing a child trafficking operation. A Nigerian registered ship, "Mv. Etireno" was suspected of carrying 180 child slaves sold by poor families to work as slaves on plantations or as servants. But more dehumanising is the commercial sexual exploitation of children. A drive down Nairobi's upmarket Koinange Street late in the evening will leave any visitor dumbfounded. Men driving sleek cars stop by to pick up child prostitutes including street girls, who in most cases are never paid their rightful dues. Child labour and commercial sexual exploitation of children are therefore very urgent problems that need to be addressed.

In Kenya, rumours are already doing the rounds that the "Say yes" campaign is a marketing gimmick popularised by Kencell Communications, a mobile phone service provider whose slogan is "Say yes". Perhaps Kencell could take advantage of this by sponsoring children's programmes on radio and television and by encouraging people to "say yes" for children. On a more positive note however, the UNICEF Kenya country representative Dr. Nicholas Alipui recently sponsored 15 children from Mama Ngina Kenyatta Children's home for computer courses. "Once online, the children can log onto our global website where they will be able to express their views on the issues which they think are most urgent" He said.

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