19th November is corresponding with the international day of stop violence against the children; this day is celebrating by the civil society organization under the name of change caravan to support the rights of the children where the violence against the children is increasing day by day.
Sexual harassment against the children, involvement of the children in the heavy work, children victims because of the roadside bombs and suicide attacks, spray of the acid on them, in some cases killing of the children in front of our eyes by their parents are the worst types of the violence against the children in the country which need a serious attention by the civil society.
Based on the statistics provided by these institutions and the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD) currently more than six million children are facing the danger or crisis where most of them are busy in the heavy work in the streets.
Nigina who is selling chewing gums on the road is saying that she lost her father and only she and her twelve years brother is the only ones who are bringing food to their family and because of the needs they are doing this work.
One of the children who is working is saying: I am coming to the bazars and streets to collected sticks and paper; she can have 50 Afs income from this and her father is also working but her father work is not fulfilling the needs of their family.
Nagina is another girl who has lost her father because of the wars and is currently busy in selling chewing gums; she is doing this job as there is no one to work in her family.
Abdul Rahim Jami is one of the members of the change in caravan who was delivering speech in this ceremony; he request from the government to find solutions for the problems of the children and defend from their rights.
Change caravan has requested from the government not to hire the youngsters below eighteen years in different classes of army and police and for the development of technology they should consider specific programs.
“The government of Afghanistan based on the promises that have for the international laws and conventions, should work in a way to provide the children with their rights. The executive institutions should provide us with these commitments and whenever anyone try to create problem and or violence against the children then they should be handover to justice”.
Recently many cases of the sexual harassment against children and their killings in Balkh, Takhar and Herat are consider as the worst type of violence against the children.
These institutions are criticizing the government authorities and especially the president Hamid Karzai that he is not paying attention to the violence cases of the children and they are saying that there are a number of cases where no attention is given.
Leya Jawad member of the Solidarity for Justice is saying this regard:
“In our country the violence against children are more than its limitation where we are the witness of different cases in the provinces of the country like Herat, Kunduz, Takhar and others; where the children are killid because their fathers are in police and still these people are called the brothers of the president and the government of Afghanistan has not a clear policy and reaction against them”
From the other side Mr. Ali Eftekhari the spokesman of the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD) is saying that the advocacy and fight against the violence of children is the duty of all institutions; this Ministry could have cover 3 million of the children out of the 6 million children who are in the danger.
“Obviously the last ten years was a good opportunity that out of six million children who were in danger, three millions could get rid of it. It is to say that having three million derelict children under coverage is not an easy job. Based on my views, as a citizen we all have the responsibility to pay attention to our duties”.
This is all happening in a period where there is war, lack of awareness about the rights of the children among the people, poverty and unemployment, absurd culture and customs in the society and all these are causing the violence against the children.
Based on the sayings of the experts, in the first step the parents, then in the further steps the government and the civil society institutions which are working for the children have the responsibility and they should find a proper solution for this problem which is everywhere in the country.
Follow TKG on Twitter & Facebook
