Child rights training held in Jonglei state
March 22, 2016 (BOR) – Save the Children, an international non-governmental entity, conducted a child rights awareness training focusing on child protection policies in South Sudan’s Jonglei state.
Some basic rights children should enjoy while at school and home as stipulated in South Sudan child Act, 2008 and United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNRCRC) were discussed.
Paul Majok, a teacher who attended the workshop, said children were informed about their rights when at school and in their homes.
“We were telling them the rights of each child, the dos and don’ts. Every child has a right to education, right to human needs and these human needs may include like feeding accommodation, where they should stay,” Majok told Sudan Tribune.
In Bor, hundreds of children live on the streets, drinking dirty water and survive on food leftovers from hotel or steal money to survive. Others have arms they use to threaten and robe people at night.
A Bor town council official said the numbers of street children in town had increased from 250 to 1,000 over the last one-and a half years.
The workshop, Majok said, will tackle children issues and that parents would soon be involved to help scale down their rising populations.
Rights of children should be observed even at family levels, he said.
The program is largely supported by Save the Children South Sudan.
“The policy of Save the Children, they act advocate on the right of the children. If we extend the awareness to the communities and to the families, we have to make sure that it is in its maximum stage and we have to implement it as we make awareness”, he said.
Parents are blamed for neglecting child rights. In South Sudan, young girls between the ages of 16 to 17 are often forced to get married by parents who receive bride price.
(ST)