Children of refugees, like their South African counterparts, are gifts to be cherished and loved.
They need access to the same healthcare and the same type of education as South African children.
These were some of the messages passed on during the provincial commemoration of the Day of the African Child celebrations at the Nelson Mandela Museum in Mthatha yesterday.
Among the dignitaries at the event were Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle and Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders provincial chairman Nkosi Mwelo Nonkonyana.
Masualle said many countries in the developing world, in particular sub-Saharan Africa, were still playing catchup in terms of putting in place fundamental building blocks critical to securing a sustainable growth trajectory for its people.
“Notwithstanding these, here in the Eastern Cape we are still sitting with social ills such as ukuthwala [forced child marriage] and a lack of adequate sanitary provisions for the girl-child which negatively impacts their access to education.
“Trafficking or abduction of children as a source of cheap labour or to be used as sex slaves, in other parts of the country or elsewhere in the world is on the increase.
“I wish to put it to us all that apart from the infrastructure deficit we have in regard to our development, the endeavour to develop our most important asset, our human capital, the majority of whom are our children and youth, requires closer attention.”
But it was Port Elizabeth-based Refugee Rights Centre director Linton Harmse whose speech captured the imagination, as he called for better treatment of children whose parents had come to the country as refugees.
He said by the end of December, around 68.5 million people had been forcibly displaced worldwide, with 55% of them being children.
“Nobody chooses to be a refugee. Refugees need our support as they are the most vulnerable people in our society.”
Harmse said in South Africa, refugees were often seen as troublesome but the reality was they were not.
He said many had been forced to flee their war-torn countries and they had sought refuge in South Africa because they needed protection.
But even then, they were often victimised. It was hard to obtain proper documentation, and many were cheated and bullied by the same government officials who were entrusted with helping them.
“Unfortunately some of our people have adverse attitudes towards refugees,” he added...