Children pour concerns to chiefs
Child parliamentarians have appealed to chiefs to fight for their right to education by lobbying members of Parliament (MPs) to push the government to construct schools close to their communities, among other needs.
During an interface meeting between chiefs and the children organised by World Vision Malawi in Lilongwe yesterday, it emerged that long distances from communities to schools are worsening school dropouts and early marriages.
Ruth Harry, a child parliamentarian from Traditional Authority (T/A) Mavwere in Mchinji, said walking long distances also exposes girls to harassment.
She said: “Sometimes children arrive at school tired because of walking long distances. Along the way, girls are harassed, which puts them off and they drop out of school. The result is that they get married early.”
Another child parliamentarian Bashil William from Machinga said sometimes children are abused in their communities by being given tasks beyond their age, which takes up the time they should have been doing school work.
“Some children may be intelligent and willing to go far with school, but the community does not give them a chance. For example, how can a child concentrate on studies after working almost half a day in the garden?” he wondered.
In his remarks, Senior Chief Fukamapiri from Nkhata Bay said since chiefs belong to different forums, they will present the issues so that they can be deliberated for solutions.
“The children have raised important issues which need quick action. We will take them to the chiefs’ council, the district council meetings, and we will organise meetings with MPs to discuss them,” he said.
On his part, World Vision Malawi communications and advocacy director Charles Gwengwe said the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health, and cultural rights of children.
He said the meeting was important because it created a platform for children to deliver their grievances to chiefs who are their immediate authorities.
In 1959, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which defines children’s rights to protection, education, health care, shelter, and good nutrition.
