Eastern Cape children’s ambassador Asisipho Peter was among hundreds of pupils from across Africa invited to highlight the plight of children in the continent.
Peter, a wheelchair-bound Grade 9 pupil at Vukuhambe Special School, took centre stage when she served as a programme director for the 25th Day of the African Child (DAC) hosted by the African Union (AU) in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The annual summit was attended by international delegates and ministers. Eight pupils from the province were accompanied to the event by Mayla Pearings from the office of the premier.
The theme for the two-day summit this year was “25 years after the adoption of the African children’s charter: accelerating our collective efforts to end child marriage in Africa”.
According to the AU website of the African committee of experts on the rights and welfare of the child, “the DAC also provides an occasion for governments, international institutions and communities to renew their ongoing commitments towards improving the plight of children by organising activities aimed at including them”.
Peter said the day started with a march from the Soweto home of former president Nelson Mandela and proceeded to Hecter Peterson Museum. The summit was held at a venue nearby.
“Children from the continent were talking about issues affecting us today and ... giving their testimonies about their experiences of being forced into marriages,” said Peter.
“Personally I suggested we should have a law that prohibits parents from engaging in such activities. If they do, they ought to be imprisoned because they are denying their children their human rights.”
Before Peter left for the summit she was invited to a meeting by education MEC Mandla Makaula, who gave her a laptop and a R2000 Vincent Park voucher.
Director of Masimanyane Women’s Support Centre Lesley Ann Foster, who also attended the summit, said she was impressed with the union for recognising the necessity to prioritise women’s development. “There can never be enough critical thinking around women’s development.”
Foster said she was impressed with the union’s study on how much it costs the economy for every year a girl child was not in school and for every child a young woman gave birth to.
“All the delegates were there, they are all aware of the repercussions, we can only hope that they really get involved and stop ukuthwala.” — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
VIDEO: EL girl adds her voice to Africa’s kids
Peter, a wheelchair-bound Grade 9 pupil at Vukuhambe Special School, took centre stage when she served as a programme director for the 25th Day of the African Child (DAC) hosted by the African Union (AU) in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The annual summit was attended by international delegates and ministers. Eight pupils from the province were accompanied to the event by Mayla Pearings from the office of the premier.
The theme for the two-day summit this year was “25 years after the adoption of the African children’s charter: accelerating our collective efforts to end child marriage in Africa”.
According to the AU website of the African committee of experts on the rights and welfare of the child, “the DAC also provides an occasion for governments, international institutions and communities to renew their ongoing commitments towards improving the plight of children by organising activities aimed at including them”.
Peter said the day started with a march from the Soweto home of former president Nelson Mandela and proceeded to Hecter Peterson Museum. The summit was held at a venue nearby.
“Children from the continent were talking about issues affecting us today and ... giving their testimonies about their experiences of being forced into marriages,” said Peter.
“Personally I suggested we should have a law that prohibits parents from engaging in such activities. If they do, they ought to be imprisoned because they are denying their children their human rights.”
Before Peter left for the summit she was invited to a meeting by education MEC Mandla Makaula, who gave her a laptop and a R2000 Vincent Park voucher.
Director of Masimanyane Women’s Support Centre Lesley Ann Foster, who also attended the summit, said she was impressed with the union for recognising the necessity to prioritise women’s development. “There can never be enough critical thinking around women’s development.”
Foster said she was impressed with the union’s study on how much it costs the economy for every year a girl child was not in school and for every child a young woman gave birth to.
“All the delegates were there, they are all aware of the repercussions, we can only hope that they really get involved and stop ukuthwala.” — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
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