Working towards a world of equal and sustainable ... · the child. III. Medical neglect. This is...
Transcript of Working towards a world of equal and sustainable ... · the child. III. Medical neglect. This is...
Message from the director
A voice crying out for help in the Concrete Jungle
e are with them at
every corner, either
in our homes,
schools, church, public transport,
shopping malls including small
shopping centres across the
country and deep in the villages.
Everywhere you turn, walk, talk
and even stroll for leisure you will
be accompanied by one, you will
find one or one will be passing by.
We have totally disregarded them
and decided that they are not our
problem, if at all we see a problem.
They do not affect us nor are they
our concern until they cross our
social, economic or domestic
boundary. We then start lamenting
on how impossible they are, their
abuse of drugs, their lack of
respect, their bad up-bringing and
that their parents are drunkards,
irresponsible and deserting.
Action for Children in the last
eleven years has observed this
situation unfold. Society has
continued to deny its role of being
the custodian of the future by
taking good care of its children.
Children are neglected and
abandoned in the most unusual of
circumstances. House helps and
teachers in schools act as
substitutions for absentee parents.
These are parents who only show
up during school open days and
give children packed lunches from
the supermarket, overlooking the
importance of a healthy diet.
And why bother them with their
children’s homework when a tutor
can do that for them? The tutor
will drill the child for another three
hours or more after a heavy eight
hours in school. Super children,
who neither get tired nor require
space to do anything else other
than what their absentee parents
prescribe. When you add the
annual ritual called a ‘birthday’ it
Accord some parents an
opportunity to extend abuse on
their children. This is through
drinking and unhealthy eating all
in the name of celebrating the
child's birthday. Do we stop and
ask ourselves, what is good for the
child or what does the child want?
In the public arena negligence by
both the national and county
governments, is evident. How does
a government allow its children to
openly intoxicate themselves?
Where did the conscious of our
leadership take a holiday to? How
long will the system continue to
slumber as the future of this
country goes to waste? What is the
net effect to the country's economy
and health system by the wastage
of children through negligence and
exposure to drugs, HIV and AIDS
as they continue to breed in the
streets openly with lack of
guidance and advice? Aren't the
adolescent mothers having
children in the streets, slums and
schools not Kenyan's enough to
benefit from the various campaigns
W
Working towards a world of equal and sustainable opportunities for every child”
C
I. Physical neglect.Where
the child’s caregiver does
not provide him/her with
basic necessities such as
adequate food, clothing,
shelter and education.
II. Emotional/psychological
neglect. This includes
actions such as extreme
spousal abuse in the
child’s presence,
withholding care and
affection, verbal assaults,
creating an environment of
fear by playing on the
child’s fears as well as
constant condemnation of
the child.
III. Medical neglect. This is
the failure to provide
appropriate health care for
the child thus placing
him/her at a risk of
becoming disabled or even
dying.
IV. Educational neglect. This
is the failure of a parent or
guardian to enrol a child in
a school or needed special
education training.
The failure to provide the child
with these basic necessities
endangers the physical,
psychological and general well-
being of the child thus affecting
his/her growth and development.
Actions to take in case of child
neglect
Anyone can report child neglect;
an affected parent, child, a
concerned neighbour, family
member or friend. Report the
matter to the children’s officer of
the respective areawho summons
the accused parent(s) to try and
reach an amicable solution keeping
in mind the best interests of the
child.
If the concerned parties fail to
agree on how the child will be
cared for, the matter may be
referred to an organisation dealing
with child rights, such as AFCIC,
for further mediation between the
concerned parties. If a solution is
still not reached, the matter is then
referred to court for determination.
The court will then be guided by
the principle that the best interests
of the child are paramount.
In accordance with Section 127 of
the Children’s Act 2001, the matter
can also be reported directly to the
nearest police station. This is
because a parent who neglects his
children commits an offense and is
liable upon conviction to a fine not
exceeding two hundred thousand
shillings or to imprisonment for a
term not exceeding five years or
both.
Case study
Samuel Mwaura*, aged 14yrs old,
lives with his parents and two
siblings in a one-roomed house in
Ruiru. He is the eldest in a family
of three and the only one enrolled
in school. His father works at a
nearby factory while his mother is
unemployed and does odd jobs.
Currently, Samuel is at home. This
is because he was sent away from
school due to a small amount he
was unable to pay towards his
tuition fee. He says that he
approached his father with a
request to pay the amount, but he
rudely dismissed him stating that
since he did not go to school, he
sees no point in educating Samuel
or his siblings.
Samuel’s father does not also
contribute towards his other needs.
Samuel states that sometimes, his
father comes home very late in the
night with no food and does not
bother to know whether they ate or
not. He cannot remember the last
time that his father bought him
clothes or shoes. Since his mother
is unemployed, she cannot
adequately provide for them.
Samuel shows off scars of beatings
that he has received occasionally
from his father without knowing
the cause. The beatings occur
when his father comes home
drunk.His mother tries to intervene
but his father overpowers
her and redirects the beatings to
her. She has on several occasions
attempted to him on the issue but
to no avail. As a result, she has
reported the matter to the
children’s office in Ruiru to find a
way that Samuel’s father can cease
neglecting and abusing his children
as well as honour his duties and
responsibilities.
Implications of Child Neglect
child has a right to
parental care which is
the right to live and be
cared for by the parents. This
means that parents should
safeguard the rights and welfare of
their children, noting that the
bestinterests of the child are
paramount in every instance. The
child is entitled to a safe childhood
and child neglect infringes upon
this right.If neglect has already
occurred, the first step should be to
ensure a safe environment for the
child then a recovery process such
as professional counselling or
other supportive interventions
should be sought.
Most of us have been raised by
both parents who are responsible
and provide for our every need.
Sleeping hungry, donning tattered
clothes or lack medical attention is
alien to most of us. It is
astonishing that a parent, who has
the ability to take care of his child,
chooses not to. A research carried
out by the Office on Child Abuse
and Neglect in America, attributed
child neglect on various factors;
such as problematic childhoods of
the parents or caregivers, poor
parenting, problem-solving skills,
developmental histories and
personality factors. This is not to
say that the presence of one of the
above factors will automatically
lead to child neglect.The way
parents were brought up can
automatically affect the upbringing
of their children. If a parent did not
have his/her needs met while
he/she was young, there is a
soaring likelihood that he will not
meet his children’s needs, leaving
them to fend for themselves at an
early age. Samuel Mwaura* a 14yr
A
ran away from home because they
feel neglected. At the centre, they
are taught their rights and what
they should expect from their
parents as part of their parental
responsibilities. They are
informedof the steps they can take
in case their parents default in their
duties.
AfCiC is continually involved in
fighting this vice of child neglect.
It is constantly involved in
education the public on this issue
with the aim of securing the best
interests of the child and curb the
issue of child neglect.
AFCIC ONE ON ONE: INTERVIEW WITH THE LEGAL OFFICER
Few people have the ability to
relentlessly volunteer for just a
cause. Denis Huthu, a lawyer, is
one of the few who do. He shares
his experience while advocating
for the rights of street and other
vulnerable children.
How long have you been working at AfCiC in your capacity as the legal officer?
I started out as a volunteer at
AFCIC. When a slot for the legal
officer opened up, I was lucky to
be considered for the position after
an interview. I have since been
with the organisation for two
years.
Why child law?
have always had a keen
interest in children matters. I
consider children to be
people with unimaginable potential
and to realize this potential; they
must be accorded the best care and
welfare possible. Working at
AFCIC, I am able to advocate for
the rights of the most vulnerable
children in the society as well as
acquire skills that I can apply to a
wide range of subjects.
How many clients do you have at any one time?
One cannot put a specific figure on
the number of clients we get.
There are days when clients stream
in throughout the whole day and
there are others when just a few
clients come. But the most
important thing is that they leave
the office satisfied with services
rendered.
What can you tell us concerning cases of child neglect in the area?
The cases of child neglect in the
area are numerous as majority of
the cases go unreported. This is
attributed to the lack of knowledge
on parental responsibilities; child
rights as well the steps to take in
case of child neglect. This has left
a lot of children suffering
needlessly with lack of adequate
food, and clothing and some not
being able to access basic
education.
I
How do you handle clients that get so emotional while addressing their problems?
I give them a few minutes to
compose themselves. Then I assess
whether they can handle the
meditation process. If they are not
in a position to continue with the
mediation, as they cannot come to
logical and sound decisions, I
arrange for a
professionalcounsellor within the
premises to talk to them.
What is your proudest moment while working for the organisation?
Every day is a proud moment at
AfCiC. I am proud whenever I go
to work as I know that I am
availing myself to the service of
others and especially to vulnerable
people who barely know about
their rights and of the solutions
available in case of potential
infringements. Anything I do to
curtail the instances of egregious
violations of children rights makes
me very proud and elated.
What do you like best about what you do?
The impact and results as a lawyer
is immediate. We are able to
resolve issues pertaining to the
welfare of children. We are also in
a position to help the rehabilitated
children talking; to them about
their rights and helping them live
better lives making sure that they
do not go back to the street. My
slight contribution towards this
young and emerging field of law
either through the implementation
of children law or through the
articles constantly written has been
a very edifying process.
What is your recommendation to the readers?
I would like to inform the people
or the society in general about the
need to report cases of child rights
violations to the various available
agencies whenever they occur.This
is because most of them go
unreported often due to the lack of
information about the various
platforms available to secure a
remedy once such omissions or
acts occur. It is the sole
responsibility of every one of us to
ensure that the rights of the
children are observed and more so,
are accorded a primary status.
ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN FOR THE MONTHS; JUNE-JULY
The Interim Care Centre hosted 31
boys who were provided with
shelter, food, clothing and medical
care. Among these children were
23 who are still under
rehabilitation. This being their
fourth month under rehabilitation,
they have been given alternating
chances to visit their family as they
get ready for exit and as a result
three of the boys have proved
responsible and ready to resume
education. Two of these boys will
be living with their extended
family members since their parents
cannot be traced. At the
beginning of the third term the
boys will be provided with school
uniform, books and admission
fees.
We also undertook a certain
number of activities, namely;
kitchen garden farming,
environment conservation and
sports.
Currently we have 18 sacks
planted with kales, spinach and
onions. We also have bananas,
pumpkins, corianders and beans.
These provide a sustainable supply
of vegetables as well as an
opportunity for the children and
their parents to learn a skill in crop
maintenance and economical
supplement of food for their
families.
SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN
The second group of children spent
their school holiday at the centre
because they face various
challenges at home such as lack of
food and negligence by their
parents. This leaves them
vulnerable to street life and hence
AfCiC offers them a safe place
over school holidays. The 7boys
are in boarding schools and soon
the school term starts they will
resume to school.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
One of the boys is in high school a
former street child came to the
centre to offer community service.
He participated in life skills
coaching, mentorship, cooking and
assisted in tutoring individual
children. This is not only a
Requirement from his school but
he also finds pleasure in doing it.
The children have also started
doing community service whereby
every Friday, they offer to clean a
local church which they attend (
The Wells Of Revival)
At St.CharlesLuanga in Kenol in a
bid to create awareness on child
rights
LEFT TO RIGHT:STAFF DEMONTRATING SACK FARMING; PARTICIPATING PARENTS & BOYS; KALES GROWN IN A SACK