Update from Secretariat

1.      Mapping of Child Protection Systems in Zambia

CHIN last year submitted a proposal for mapping of child protection systems in the country. CHIN was selected as best placed organisation to conduct this exercise in partnership with the MSYCD. The proposal will be funded by UNICEF as the major partner while other international NGOs are contributing towards the shortfall. The exercise will be carried out in all the nine province in a total of 30 districts. The exercise is very massive and this will be treated as a pilot to be rolled out to all other districts when more resources are available. CHIN already presented the work plan and budget to stakeholders in the steering committee for the exercise.

CHIN proposes to utilize the vast human resources available through its network structure to conduct this exercise. Member will participate in the data collection exercise after undergoing training. The expected outputs from the exercise are:

• •       Map of existing institutions, structures

• •       Map of child protection systems 

• •       Inventory of resources (human/financial)

• •       Database of children at risk

• •       Situation analysis of child protection

• •       Directory of services

• •       Policy recommendations

2.     Mobility International

With technical support from Mobility International –USA(MIUSA), CHIN has embarked on disability initiatives. Currently CHIN is to pilot organisations JATISHA and Jesus Cares Minitries in Lusaka. The partner has since requested for 2 more organisations to be part of the pilot in Lusaka and Secretariat has embarked on identification of such organisations. Bauleni Street Kids centers was visited and the other possible organisation is St. Lawrence. The partner has insisted on limiting the pilot to Lusaka.  

3.     Organisational Development Programme

The organizational development programme took off in the second quarter with 2 focus provinces, Copperbelt and Eastern. Last year this programme was advertised and the two provinces were selected due to the response received. Though other organisations in other provinces applied, it was more feasible to go to the two provinces. Copperbelt has 10 organisations on the programme whilst Eastern has 15organisations participating. The organisations are listed below:

So far each of the organisations has been visited at least twice, with trainings and follow up visits being conducted.

1.Commemoration Days

Since CHIN sits on various preparatory committees of commemoration days, the Network also participated in number of international and national mark days focusing on children’s issues. This year CHIN has taken part in the following commemoration days;

-          The International Day of the Family ( 15^th May, 2010)

-          The World Day Against Child Labour ( 12^th June, 2010)

-          Children’s Day of Prayer ( 20^th May, 2010)

-          Day of the African Child (16^th June, 2010)

During these important days the Knowledge Development Communications Officer worked with CHIN members to encourage member participation. The members were asked to exhibit and to bring along children for the mach pasts and other children’s activities. So far this year CHIN has involved more than 30 members organisations and over 100 children in these activities. Unfortunately Due to limited resources only selected regions took part. 

2.New members

The officer also spent some time visiting organisations which applied for affiliation as members to the network. This year 15 0rganisations were visited and 7 organisations joined the network in Lusaka. The following are the new CHIN members in Lusaka;

-          Lifenet  Children’s Rescue Mission – in Kalundu

-          Bwafwano Community HBC Organization – in Chazanga compound

-          Tiyeseko Community School – in Chipata compound

-          Luminary Foundation - in Misisi Compound

-          Comforter Community School - Kabanana Site & Service

-          Saimart Community School - Chipata Overspill

-          Grace FKT Community School(OVCs) - Mazyopa Compound

 This process is also being done by CHIN board members in the different regions. 

1.Drug control: Knowledge on anti-retroviral treatment  

Drug abuse poses significant health challenges. Injecting drug use is a leading cause of the spread of HIV. In some parts of the world, heroin use and HIV have reached epidemic proportions.

Drug control - including prevention and measures to reduce the harmful effects of drug use - is therefore an important part of the battle to combat HIV/AIDS.  

A Lusaka based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) established to contribute to the response to the impact of HIV/AIDS has attributed the increase in knowledge on anti-retroviral treatment among rural dwellers to the presence of caregivers in the areas.

In an interview recently, Chipulumuso Counseling and Health Care Trust (CCHCT) executive director, Ms Alice Nkoma said once trained, caregivers are always willing to disseminate information on HIV/AIDS to rest of the community.  

Ms Nkoma said knowledge about HIV/AIDS medication is also high in rural areas compared to urban areas because people in urban areas are not willing to volunteer as caregivers.  

“Caregivers act as the voice for the voiceless,” she said.

Ms Nkoma said it is unfortunate that the last time her organisation conducted Voluntary Counseling and Testing services in Lusaka only eight people were tested compared to 87 people in Chibombo district.

The Central Statistical Office (CSO) director Efreda Chulu said recently at the launch of the monthly bulletin that the 2009 sexual behavior survey indicates that the proportion of persons with knowledge of special medications for treatment of HIV/AIDS increased from 55.2 percent in 2005 to 94 percent in 2009. 

Ms Chulu said analysis by residence shows that the increase in knowledge about HIV/AIDS medication was more in rural areas than urban areas.

She said knowledge about HIV/AIDS medication in rural areas increased from 46.2 percent in 2005 to 92.5 percent in 2009.  

“In urban areas, knowledge about HIV/AIDS medications increased from 71.8 percent in 2005 to 96.7 percent in 2009,” Ms Chulu said.

It adds that analysis by sex shows that in 2005 knowledge about HIV/AIDS medication was higher among males at 57.4 percent than females at 53.1 percent. 

Ms Chulu however, said in 2009 knowledge on HIV/AIDS was widespread for both males and females with 93.8 percent and 94.2 percent respectively. “Percentage of respondents with knowledge of special medications for the treatment of HIV/AIDS and where to obtain these medications by sex and residence has also increased over the years,” she said.  

Ms Chulu said the percent of persons who know where to obtain medications for treating HIV/AIDS has increased from 49.7 percent in 2005 to 90.3 percent in 2009.

She said in rural areas, the proportion increased from 40.3 percent in 2005 to 88.5 percent in 2009, while in urban areas the increase was from 67.2 percent to 93.2 percent during the same period.  

According to latest information from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, illicit drug trade also undermines governance, institutions and societal cohesion.

“Drug traffickers typically seek routes where the rule of law is weak. In turn, drug-related crime deepens vulnerability to instability and poverty,”

UNODC says to break this vicious circle, it is essential to promote development in drug-growing regions. 

“Our work to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and fight drugs must go hand-in-hand. In seeking to eradicate illicit crops, we must also work to wipe out poverty,”

The information further indicates that recent worrying trends in parts of West Africa and Central America show how drug trafficking can threaten the security and even the sovereignty of states.  

“That is why the United Nations is putting a stronger emphasis on enhancing justice and fighting crime in peace-building and peace-keeping operations. National governments must also do their part. We urge all states to become parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The UN also call on states to live up to their commitments, as Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption, to strengthen integrity and reduce the corruption that facilitates the drug trade,” UNODC adds.

UNODC further sates “On this International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, let us reaffirm our commitment to this shared responsibility within our communities, and among the family of nations”.-End  

2.Day of the African Child: Vernacular not compulsory in primary schools  

Africa observes the Day of the African child, in memory of thousands of black children who were maimed and killed in the 1976 Soweto uprising, as they took to the streets to protest the inferior quality of their education and to demand their right to be taught in their own language.  

Zambia has made great strides in HIV testing, prevention and education.

Government said it had allowed teaching in local languages in some schools from grade one to grade four to help teachers communicate with pupils who fail to understand certain concepts in English.  

Minister of Education Dora Siliya, however, said this does not mean pupils from grade one to four will not be taught in English. She said from grade five onwards, pupils will have to learn in English because the language is the country’s medium of instruction.  

Ms Siliya said teaching in a local language will give some pupils the opportunity to learn basic skills of reading and writing in a local language. She said a local language, which is employed in teaching literacy, and numeracy is not essentially a mother tongue but one spoken by the vast majority of people in a given area of the country.

Ms Siliya said such a language is often called the ‘pupils’ language of play’.

“The local language which is used in teaching literacy and numeracy skills is not necessarily a mother tongue but a language that is spoken by the majority of people in a locality, this is often referred to as the language of play,” she said.  

Ms Siliya said when she made a presentation to the traditional leaders that the local languages the pupils will be taking will not necessarily have to be their mother tongue but ones spoken by the vast majority of people in a given area of the country. She said government in 1998 introduced a primary reading programme in Kasama to foster initial literacy and numeracy skills of learners at grade one in a local language. Ms Siliya said the programme, which was a pilot project, was successful with a huge impact on reading levels among pupils following evaluation in 2003.
The minister added that because of its success, the programme was scaled up in 2003 and was implemented in more than 4,000 government primary schools and 74 community schools. Recently, traditional leaders said there was need for the use of local languages foe teaching purposes in schools. Currently, the teaching of local languages is not compulsory in Zambian schools. 

The program also saw the development of literacy books in seven local languages.

She however said the use of all Zambian languages will be impracticable as the country was multi-lingual, adding that apart from the country being a multi-lingual society, teaching all local languages will have cost implications.

Zambia has 72 local languages.
She further said the problem will even be compounded by the lack of teachers who were able to teach in a variety of languages but she pointed out that English would continue to be the country' s official language.-End  

3.Extended family break down, HIV/AIDS affecting well being of children 

THE breakdown in the extended family system coupled with increasing HIV /AIDS cases has had a negative effect on the well-being of children, families and communities.

Extended families sometimes see school fees as a major factor in deciding not to take on additional children orphaned by AIDS.  

Orphans may also leave school to attend to ill family members, work or to look after young siblings. Even before the death of a parent, children may miss out on educational opportunities research in Kenya suggests that children of HIV-positive parents are significantly less likely to attend school than other children.  

Outside of school, orphans may also miss out on valuable life-skills and practical knowledge that would have been passed on to them by their parents. Without this knowledge and a basic school education, children may be more likely to face social, economic and health problems as they grow up.  

Children grieving for dying or dead parents are often stigmatised by society through association with AIDS. The distress and social isolation experienced by these children, both before and after the death of their parent(s), is strongly exacerbated by the shame, fear, and rejection that often surrounds people affected by HIV and AIDS.

This is one of the observations made at a five-day media-training workshop on Psycho-social Support at Ibis Gardens in Chisamba. The workshop attracted both local and international journalists to discuss and exchange country experiences with a view to assisting children cope with difficulties.  

According to the Regional Psycho-social Support Initiative (REPSSI), the psycho-social programmes have been designed to build resilience and create internal and external protective factors among journalists that will help people, especially children, recover from stressful and traumatic experiences.  

It is however, regrettable that millions of children lack psycho-social support due to failure by either parents or guardians to uphold the responsibility of helping them get in touch with their values and principles. The Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia chairperson and Media Network on Child Rights and Development coordinator, Henry Kabwe, said there is urgent need for the media to engage policy makers in ensuring that the rights and concerns of children are addressed.  

“The media can be a torch bearer of the children’s future by ensuring that they bring out information that can transform children’s lives and make them participate in the governance of the country by making it possible for children to speak in the media,” Mr Kabwe said.

Because of this stigma, children may be denied access to schooling and health care. Once a parent dies children may also be denied their inheritance and property.  

Often children who have lost their parents to AIDS are assumed to be HIV positive themselves, adding to the likelihood that they will face discrimination and damaging their future prospects. In this situation children may also be denied access to healthcare that they need. Sometimes this occurs because it is assumed that they are infected with HIV and their illnesses are untreatable. 

Namibian journalist Ricardo Goagosed said it is unfortunate that the lack of psychosocial support among young women has contributed to baby dumping, adding that it is also sad that psycho-social support programmes have never been set as an agenda in that country.

"It has never been easy in Malawi to deal with children that have a background which is associated with witchcraft," said Malawian journalist Lloyd Zawanda. "Journalists need to explore feedback mechanisms and ensure that cases of child abuse that are increasing at an alarming rate are dealt with," Times of Zambia journalist Darlington Mwendabai said.

And South Africa-based Psychologist and workshop facilitator Ncazelo Mlilo said it is also unfortunate that western norms and ideas have also contributed to the break-down in family ties among the African communities. 

"A lot of these western ideas have not worked for our communities. Our upbringing of children is really scary. "We are not just realising that we are using wrong strategies to bring-up our children. It is like there is no sense of responsibility among some parents and guardians," she said.  

Mrs Mlilo said it is also regrettable that very little is being invested in issues of psycho-social support, especially among children at both individual and national levels.

The participants identified street children, orphans, child-headed homes, poverty-stricken children and children infected with HIV/AIDS as the groups most prone to all forms of abuse.  

4.Child abuse in Zambian schools rampant  

ACCORDING to the Human Rights Watch many girls around the world routinely experience school-related violence that puts their physical and psychological well-being at risk, undermines their opportunities to learn, or even causes them to entirely drop out of school. Schoolgirls may be raped, sexually assaulted, or sexually harassed by their classmates or even by their teachers.  

The extent of child abuse in Zambian schools has not been fully researched, although a rapid assessment of child abuse conducted by the United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Children in Need Network (CHIN) 2001 revealed that the vice was rampant. Many cases of child abuse in schools die a natural death; some of them never reported to the police because victims are either compromised or threatened by the perpetrators. 

Campaign for Female Education (Camfed) Zambia says most cases of child abuse in schools exposed the serious lack of a child protection policy.

Camfed executive director, Barbara Chilangwa says that schools do not have laid down systems and recognised structures to deal with violations against girls.

Mrs Chilangwa says because of this, school head teachers have tended to protect abusive teachers, in many cases opting to transfer perpetrators or even pupils to other schools rather than bringing the culprits to justice.  

"In such environments, girls are at risk of sexual abuse, they have nowhere to turn. Even when they know their rights, there is no recourse. We need urgent action and interventions to ensure that schools are safe and protect children from abuse," she said.

According to the Forum for African Educationalists in Zambia (FAWEZA), studies from around the world show that gender violence is the major feature of school life for many adolescent pupils, especially girls.  

Daphne Chimuka, the coordinator for FAWEZA says sexual abuse and harassment are mostly perpetuated by older male pupils and male teachers, adding that 'sugar daddies' were also parading as uncles or cousins in the vicinity of the schools to give gifts or money in exchange for sex with young girls. 

"Violence in schools is a breeding ground for potentially damaging gendered practices which remain in adult life. When school authorities fail to clamp down on gender violence, they send a massage to pupils that it is a normal feature of life. Denial of information for parents and pupils about their rights is a denial of the rights to protection," she said.  

Mrs Chimuka said failure to investigate allegations and reports or to prosecute teachers or other offenders guilty of sexual misconduct allows such behaviour to continue unchecked.

She added that suffering the effects of abuse in silence damages the victims' confidence and self esteem and retards their educational progress and development. FAWEZA has since called on school head teachers and teachers to create a gender friendly environment which would be conducive for learning, by working with pupils, especially girls, supporting their personal development, protecting their rights and preventing gender stereo-types. 

"Parents must refrain from entering into negotiations for compensation with teachers who abuse their children," said Mrs Chimuka. The 'learn without fear' campaign by Plan International entitled 'Rape for Grades: Shocking Reality for World's School Girls' also indicates that violence in schools was often viewed as acceptable across the globe where children are regularly sexually and physically abused by the very adults who have the duty to protect them.  

The report says girls as young 10 years were being forced to have sex with their teachers to pass exams and threatened with poor grades and failure if they refused. "Sexual violence is institutionalised in many schools through out Africa , with many teachers ruthlessly exploiting pupils by demanding sex. Most victims are too scared, ashamed and traumatized to speak out and school authorities are often unwilling to investigate accusations," the report says.

Annie Botha, a grade eight pupil at Lusaka Girls Basic School said it was encouraging that Camfed and other stakeholders were concerned about the welfare of girls and wanted to listen to their voices.  

Annie said it was sad that abuse was worse among girls in rural areas where schools were far from homes and teachers were few.

"Many girls have to walk to get to upper basic schools and due to the high cost of boarding fees, many of them have resorted to renting accommodation in villages. This puts them at risk of being abused and infected with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), unwanted pregnancies and HIV. They drop out of school and sometimes are married off early," said Annie.  

She said such an environment was not child friendly as it made most girls feel timid. "It is unfortunate that we are scolded by teachers who think girls are not as bright as boys. In some cases, teachers and older boys abuse us with no recourse. At home, we are not spared either. 

5.Millions of children exposed to worst forms of illicit activities 

Hundreds of millions of girls and boys throughout the world are engaged in work that deprives them of adequate education, more than half are exposed to the worst forms of illicit activities such as drug trafficking.  

The International Labour Organization (ILO) aunched the first World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 as a way to highlight the plight of these children.  

The World Day Against Child Labour provides and opportunity to gain further support of individual governments and that of the ILO social partners, civil society and others, including schools, youth and women's groups as well as the media, in the campaign against child labour.  

Tackling child labour is closely related with progress on basic education.

Recently the Forum for African Women Educationists in Zambia (FAWEZA) expressed concern at the high number of students getting involved in drug trafficking.

The World Day Against Child Labour, which is observed on June 12^th , is intended to serve as a catalyst for the growing worldwide movement against child labour, reflected in the huge number of ratifications of ILO Convention number 182 on the worst forms of child labour and ILO Convention number 138 on the minimum age for employment.   

FAWEZA has since called on parents to work with law enforcement agencies to ensure their children do not fall prey to illicit activities. “Parents should be involved in sensitising the young generation about the dangers of drug abuse,” FAWEZA national coordinator Daphne Chimuka told the Children in Need Network (CHIN) newsletter recently.  

Ms Chimuka said it is unfortunate that students are engaging themselves in drug trafficking instead of concentrating on their studies. “This news is quite disturbing. Students are supposed to concentrate on studies. We do not want to build a nation of drug traffickers,” Ms Chimuka said.

FAWEZA has advised students and other youths to avoid falling prey to drug abuse, saying the vice has devastating effects on the economic progression of the country.

Ms Chimuka said students should be a leading example in the fight and sensitisation of others about the dangers of drug abuse. 

She said it is also unfortunate that high poverty levels have contributed to children engaging themselves in illicit activities such as drug trafficking and alcohol abuse.

Ms Chimuka has also appealed to government to provide alternative income generating opportunities to school dropouts.  

“We need to broaden the skills training opportunities among school dropouts. This is one best strategy in which we can contribute to the fight against drug abuse among young people,” she said. 

Ms Chimuka said formal training skills and provision of loans for entrepreneurship are among strategies predestined to empower youths including students.

She has also urged youths especially school dropouts to form cooperatives to have easy access to resources such as the constituency development fund. Recently authorities in the United Kingdom arrested a 37-year old Zambian national for drug trafficking.
The student was found with 45 kilograms of compressed cannabis and arrested at London ’s Heathrow Airport .

In another incident the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) public relations manager John Nyawali disclosed a few weeks ago that 24 students of Mungwi Technical School in Northern Province were committed to the Drug Enforcement Commission for counseling following a sequence of drug abuse activities.

7. Law reform in Zambia

The Zambian legal system is composed of judicial officers, law enforcement officers and legal practitioners. Legislation relating to the protection of children from sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation is largely contained in the Penal code and there is neither mentioned in the laws of Zambia a definition of child sexual abuse nor commercial sexual exploitation of children. Zambia has a dual legal system propagated by statutory and customary laws. The duo poses serious challenges in offering effective protection to children from sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation. The Zambian Constitution recognises the application of customary law.

The existence of child marriages is promoted by cultural practices, which are highly respected and rooted in the African customary law let alone the Zambian customs and traditions. The newly enacted law on combating trafficking in persons which include children seeks to combat child trafficking including their being commercially sexually exploited and sexually abused.  

The amendments made to the Penal Code in 2005 address matters relating to child pornography and child marriages. The existence of the dual laws makes it difficult to protect children against commercial sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children.

Whereas statutory law prohibits child marriages, on the contrary customary law legalizes.

Zambia is signatory to a number of international instruments addressing child sexual abuse, commercial sexual exploitation of children, child trafficking and child pornography. These are all encompassed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child which is a complete document containing the rights of children.

This brief therefore discusses the challenges in the Zambian legal system and laws in addressing sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of children. Below are the sections discussing salient features of the Zambian legal system and legislation relating to sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of children. It also discusses international standards and practice in addressing sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of children.

National legal framework

Currently there is a review of laws relating to children and a number of consultative meetings are taking place. Additionally, comparative study visits have been undertaken abroad in order to study the legal framework with a view of repealing and replacing several pieces of legislation. The comparative studies undertaken include visits to South Africa , Namibia , Lesotho and Ghana . A number of challenges exist in the Zambian legal system and legislation as it relates to the following:

Definition of Child

There are multiple definitions of a child in the Zambian laws and these create disparities in interpretation

Child marriages

The aspects relating to remuneration in the process of marrying a girl child require to be examined in the context of exploitation. Children are involved in marriage in return for basic needs or favors, therefore” remuneration or other form of consideration” should include any form of reward whether promised or given to the child or third party. The “consideration” needs to be able to include food, shelter, drugs, drinks, consumer goods,, etc. These indirect forms of remuneration are crucial, as many children originally become involved in child prostitution because they are homeless, runaways or experiencing substance abuse problems. The consideration of the aspects of remuneration and consideration captures all forms of exploitation in broader sense of interpretation.

Child prostitution

The Zambian law does not expressly prohibit child prostitution let alone adult prostitution. There is no definition in the Zambian legislation for child prostitution. If the fight against child prostitution is to be won, there is need for a deliberate enactment of the section in the penal law to strictly define child prostitution .The constitutive elements of the offence of child prostitution should include;

“The use of a child in sexual activities for remuneration or any other form of consideration and this include offering, obtaining, procuring or providing a child for child prostitution” Others are; oral sex, masturbation, sexual touching and fondling, posing and acts relating to the making of child pornography.

Adopting and incorporating the above elements into Zambian legislation would effectively address issues relating to the irrelevance of consent when dealing with involvement of children in sexual acts.The fight against child prostitution rests with the inclusion of addressing demand and supply through criminalizing clients, recruiters, mangers of premises and other intermediaries.

 In Zambia , during the law reform consideration must be made to address these ingredients independent of the question of decriminalizing adults.

Deliberate steps must be taken to avoid criminalisation of children involved in prostitution. Children must always be treated as victims and not offenders when found to have been involved in prostitution or other form of commercial sexual exploitation. Criminalising children engaged in prostitution provides their exploiter with the opportunity to use threat of prosecution to coerce the child. In addition children who risk prosecution are unlikely to report the crime of their exploitation to law enforcement agents.  

Commercial sexual exploitation

Commercial sexual exploitation of the girl – child is a complex phenomenon that is increasingly prevalent within and between countries. It involves the sexual exploitation of a girl-child in return for money or other valuable considerations to the girl’s parents or other third parties.Commercial sexual exploitation includes child prostitution, sex tourism, trafficking in girls for the purposes of prostitution or forced marriages. It also includes child pornography. Zambia signed and ratified the optional protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons especially women and children.

This is a positive step as government has through the Ministry of Justice introduced before parliament in July 2008, the Anti – Human Trafficking Bill of 2008. Though general, there are some sections, which provide for the protection of children from being trafficked as well as from being commercially exploited.

Child prostitution is the act of engaging or offering services of a child to perform sexual acts for money or other consideration. In sex tourism, the opportunity to engage in sex is offered to potential tourist as part of the tour package. Child trafficking is the procurement and transportation of children for the purposes of prostitution, pornography or forced marriages.

Many girls are at risk and the indications are that commercial sexual exploitation of girls is increasing at an alarming rate. The World Congress Against Commercial Exploitation of children, held in Stockholm in 1996, acknowledges this trend and calls for urgent action at national, regional and international level to combat the practice].

The study found that Zambia has not yet signed the optional protocol on the sale and involvement of children in pornography including sexual abuse and exploitation. This is in itself a risk factor that predisposes children to sexual abuse, as there is no basis under which interventions could be drawn or extracted from.

Extract from the April 2010 law Reform Brief 

8. ‘Get Real’

CHIN in 2006 undertook research to ascertain the prevalence of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) which includes child trafficking, child pornography, child sex tourism and prostitution in Zambia and the findings were without doubt disturbing.

The recommendations from this research showed that there is a great need for awareness rising because the lives of children were at a great risk. CSEC is not only a threat to the lives of our children today but also to the coming generations and the future of our country.

CHIN has to this effect decided to step up its sensitization campaigns to respond to this challenge by producing a 13 weeks TV programme called Get Real on ZNBC TV.

The aim of this programme is to sensitize the nation on issues of commercial sexual exploitation of children and to highlight the efforts of CHIN members and other partners in ending this vice.

The programme mainly focuses on issues of trafficking, prostitution, pornography, child sex tourism, child labour children’s rights and many other issues affecting children. The programme “Get Real” is a youthful presentation produced from different locations especially those where CSEC is on the prevalent.

Our initial budget for the programme was only enough for producing 10 programmes but  after Child Care and Adoption Society heard about this production they decided to support three more programmes to keep the show on the air for three more weeks. 

Get Real is being produced by Location Challenge a local production house and it is aired on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation ZNBC every after two weeks on Saturdays at 18.35 hrs.  

9. Mandondo Community School receive clothes

There was jubilation at Mandondo Community School in Eastern Province by Orphans and Vulnerable Children(OVCs) recently when they received a donation of clothes from Faith In Action Development Foundation (FIADF).  

“Iam very happy to receive clothes. They will cover my body for some time”, remarked Misozi Zulu, a female Grade 4 pupil, who is also a double orphan. Jumping and singing due to happiness characterized the atmosphere. The children could not hide their joy but to thank the lord for such a wonderful  esture.  

Forty-four (44) children and a teacher benefited from the donation.

Mandondo Community School is situated near Kasiwake Village in Chief Mishoro’s area, twenty (20) kilometers west of the provincial Headquarters of the Eastern Province of Zambia.

The school was established by the community due to the effects of HIV and AIDS.

Faith In Action Development Foundation (FIADF) presented the donation to the children through its Executive Director, Rev. Tellas Shumba.  

Faith In Action Development Foundation  (FIADF) is a faith- based organisation, which was established for the main purpose of alleviating the suffering of the poorest of the poor at the grass root. The Organisation (FIADF) decided to support communities in rural areas where there was greater need, unlike other organizations who were providing simila service(s) in urban areas where there was lesser need.

10. Children Pray for Peaceful Elections Next Year

The 2010 Children’s Day of Prayers, which was held on 20^th May 2010 was a special event that gave the Global Movement for Children an opportunity to pray for the forth coming elections. 

It was so nice to listen to the voice of children and hear how we can meaningfully and effectively contribute to the realization of their dreams and aspirations for a prosperous future. 

The theme of this event was “Peace and Prosperity in the Nation” the children prayed to almighty God to provide the nation with the Leaders who can consult children and respect their rights as children as well as the future leaders of this nation mother Zambia during this forthcoming elections 2011.  

Prayer for the Forthcoming General Elections: In their prayer to God, the children made it clear that they were averse to violent campaigning and elections. They therefore prayed for peace to prevail during the general forthcoming (2011) elections.  

After the prayer presentations, children from Flame led the all the participants in singing two songs of praise. Then the guest of honor, Hon. Ronnie Shikapwasha was called upon to deliver his speech.  

The Guest of Honor at the 2010 Children’s Day of Prayers was Hon. Ronnie Shikapwasha, Minister of Information and Broadcasting. Also in attendance was Bishop Joshua Banda of the Assemblies of God Church in Northmead.

Some of the organisations that participated in this event were as follows:

1. The Children in Need Network (CHIN)

2. Jesus Cares Ministries

3. World Vision Zambia

4. Zambia Deaf Vision (ZDV)

5. Child Fund Zambia

6. Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI)

7. Forum for African Women Educationalists of Zambia (FAWEZA)

8. Cheshire Homes

9. Flame

Each organisation brought a number of children to participate at the function which was well organised and attended.

The vote of thanks was given by Mr. Simushi Lifuna from World Vision Zambia . Mr. Simushi thanked Hon. Shikapwasha for agreeing to come and be with the children and the Global Movement for Children partners for allowing children to pray for national leaders.

11.CHIN applauds Government on ratification of ACRWC                                                                 The Children in Need Network (CHIN) has commended Government for ratifying the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC).  

The Charter was endorsed in November, 2009 in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia . It is critical to the survival and development of the child in Zambia . According to the press release issued in Lusaka recently by CHIN knowledge development and communications officer Bestone Banda the rights of the child in the African context takes a variety of positions and understanding, hence the drafting of the ACRWC.

The ACRWC was adopted by African Nations in 1990 and came into force in 1991.

Ratification is an act by which the State formerly and publicly accepts that it is legally bound by the Charter and commit to respect, protect and fulfill the rights and welfare of children.

Mr Banda said in this regard government requires to take legislative, judicial and administrative measures to implement the provisions of the ACRWC.

He said key issues of concern by his organisation include, public awareness on the ratification of the ACRWC and its popularisation, development of national indicators to implement and monitor the implementation of the Charter.

Other concerns are the establishment and strengthening of structures for implementing and monitoring of the Charter at community, district , provincial and national levels,  production and submission of State Party Reports and resource mobilization .

“Although the government ratified the Charter, the ratification was rather done in a quite manner. CHIN would have loved the ceremony to have been widely publicised as it would have served as a means to raise public awareness on the Charter to the Zambian populace,” Mr Banda said.

He added that since the ACRWC is an instrument that all Zambian people must apply in the conduct of their daily lives, public awareness on the ratification and tenets must be given the due attention.

Mr Banda has since called for the popularisation  of the ACRWC in order for the public to know its efficacy and relevance in advancing the rights and improving the welfare of children in Zambia , adding that this will help speed the achievement of the Charter in Zambia .

“Clear goals and targets should be set and pursued,” he said.

CHIN is a national network of 310 NGOs, FBOs and CBOs working to uphold the rights and improve the welfare of children in Zambia .

CHIN was supported by Save the Children Sweden to undertake a review of the ratification status of the Charter by government.

Mr Banda said through the review CHIN developed an advocacy action plan, monitoring framework and roadmap for the implementation and monitoring of the Charter based on the priority issues of concern.

The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child is an initiative of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) now African Union (AU) to complement and contextualize the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) which was developed and written from the western conceptual framework. End  

12.Children mix work with fun                                                                                                          On Sunday morning of 18^th, July 2010, Children Caucus had an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. It was a bright Sunday morning when joyous children filled the bus to its capacity to have a work trip to Munda Wanga.

We hit the road with the driver who kept his favorite CD of famous American Singer Akon. The children kept dancing to it punctuated with loud laughs. We continued our journey until we reached Munda Wanga Park but for the children who had not carried enough sweaters to keep them warm as some were shivering but eagerly waiting to see “Mpundu” the king of the jungle. The workers at the park graded the children below 14 years and the adults. Children kept peeping at what really happens inside the park.

Without wasting time, the officers allowed us in with our stickers on the chest meaning that we had cleared the entrance fee. We entered with anxiety to know the secrets of the park. What a green environment!  Cool wind kept blowing as we walked through.

The anxiety amongst the children kept the whole group move faster, running here and there. The path in that park doesn’t allow people to walk abreast; it only keeps a long line and bending like a snake out to its waters. The children preferred to use a path over the bridge with stagnant water below it cover by green vegetations, other preferred another bridge guarded by metals to protect children from danger. As we kept walking we landed on to children amusement park and the children made a loud scream, I guess the animals were scared as well and the nearest was a cheetah that had taken cover and ready to display its running skills in case of a chase.

Any way, the purpose of visiting was two fold 1. To have fun and 2.To provide input to thee situational analysis of children in Zambia. Save the Children -Sweden had done a research on the same topic and they wanted to give a priority to children to give out their views on what’s happening in regard to the findings of the report.

The children indeed welcomed the idea and the bright sun had warmed up the day and others kept sunbathing as we take them through what was expected of them.

It was so amazing after they had been divided into three groups and had set the ball rolling. They absorbed the ideas with criticisms from fellow children and were able to provide valuable information. The presentations on their own findings were mind blowing and rich to the report. The children enjoyed the exercise as they are the holders of their rights up to the last part. They highlighted all the rights; all their rights and what has so far been done and what they want to see the government of Zambia keep doing and other things that need to be included.

Thank God, the children kept a hilarious mood during the discussion and the game ride left them with smiling faces, the crested crane, Lions, Camels, Warthogs, Ostriches  and Cheetah etc as the game warden kept explaining the behaviors of each.

Swimming was another activity that made the children’s day. Children were swimming through a machine would take them through the high point and pushed through a meandering movement until it vomits them in water. What a wonderful experience with children!

The day ended with a braii and children will always remember Munda Wanga and promised to tell those children that never participated. They also made a remark of such an opportunity accorded to them as children especially of providing input to such research work, it made a big difference in their lives. Full children’s participation indeed!!!!!  Wait for the results of the day soon.