par On June 16th of each year, the day dedicated to the African child is celebrated. Burundi, a state party to the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, joins other countries of the continent to commemorate this day.
The commemoration of the Day of the African Child on June 16th of each year was decided by the African Union in resolution CM / RES1290. It offers the opportunity to remember the massacre of Soweto’s children in 1976, who had demonstrated simply to claim their right to an education not based on racist principles in South Africa, it was then under the Apartheid regime.
The theme proposed by the African Committee of Experts on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and adopted by the Executive Board for the year 2018 is entitled: « No child left behind for the development of Africa « . And for our country, the theme is « No child left behind for the development of the nation. Increase efforts to care of children and vulnerable families
The celebration of this day comes at a time when Burundi is making great efforts to ensure full respect for the rights of the child. An example of this is the implementation of the Government’s strategy to reintegrate street children into their families and communities. Since the implementation of the strategy last April, more than 1,200 children living in street have been reunited with their families.
The second example is the launch of the national campaign against child neglect in November of last year. This campaign will have the merit of meeting the challenge of combating negligence in hygiene, education, food, health care, etc. Awareness for the universal commitment to children’s rights has been raised. Here, we welcome the commitment made by all municipal administrators to raise the level of allocations toward the vulnerable people while budgeting process.
Beside these strategies and commitment, the government has just instituted a day dedicated to local solidarity, which will bear fruits like improvement of the childhood situation in general and vulnerable children in particular.
The Government reaffirms its determination to ensure the full protection of all children rights and to support vulnerable families.
In Burundi, the festivities will take place on June 19, 2018 and in Buterere zone, NTAHANGWA Commune, Bujumbura City.
We take this opportunity to invite the residents of Buterere and the surrounding area to respond massively to these ceremonies.
Happy celebration to all children of Burundi as well as African Continent.
