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Kenya puts in place measures to strengthen child protection: official

Xinhua, June 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kenya, in partnership with bilateral allies and civil society, has developed a raft of policy and legislative tools to strengthen protection of children in regions affected by conflicts and natural disasters, authorities said on Thursday.

Cabinet Secretary of Labour and Social Services Phyllis Kandie said the plight of children is a major priority in the government given their vulnerability to a host of man-made and climate induced threats.

"Kenya has in recent past experienced many incidents that expose children to harm. We have put measures in place to safeguard the rights and welfare of children in dangerous situations," Kandie said during an event to mark the Day of the African Child.

The Day is observed on June 16 annually to commemorate the 1976 Soweto uprising where 176 school children were killed by police in apartheid South Africa as they demanded their right to education.

Kandie noted the Day provides an opportunity to take stock of progress achieved in the elimination of all forms of abuse against minors.

"For holistic provision of child rights to be possible, peace and order must prevail," said Kandie, adding that Kenya's constitution and vision 2030 blue print root for strengthening child protection as a pre-condition to hasten economic and social transformation

Kenya has ratified United Nations protocols that prohibit governments or rebel groups from recruiting children as combatants in armed conflicts.

Likewise, the children's Act of 2001 obliges the state and care-givers to ensure minors are shielded from dangerous environments.

Kandie regretted that a toxic political environment Kenya has experienced of late bode ill for safety of children and youth.

"We should borrow a leaf from the suffering of children in war-torn regions and endeavor to live in peace and harmony," she said.

The Kenyan government and its African peers must strengthen measures that avert armed conflicts which weigh heavily on children, women and youth.

Duncan Harvey, Country Director with Save the Children Kenya, said that children's rights and privileges are often violated during wars and conflicts hence the need for African governments to invest in civil harmony.

"Deliberate efforts must be put in place to ensure that children are not robbed of their dignity by conflicts and wars," Harvey said. Enditem