STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF HUMAN RIGHTS, SOCIAL AFFAIRS AND GENDER AT THE CELEBRATION OF THE DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD, 2019 EDITION

1. The commemoration of the Day of the African Child on June 16 of each year was decided by the African Union in resolution CM / RES1290. It offers the opportunity to remember the massacre of Soweto’s children in 1976, who had demonstrated simply to claim their right to education not based on racist principles in South Africa; it was then under the Apartheid regime.

2. 

   The theme proposed by the African Committee of Experts on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and adopted by the Executive Board for the year 2019 is entitled: « Humanitarian action in Africa: the rights of the child first and foremost”. And for our country, the same wording of the theme has been retained to emphasize the priority attention to be given to the rights of the child wherever and under any circumstances, including in humanitarian situations.

3. The celebration of this day comes at a time when Burundi is making great efforts to ensure full respect for the rights of the child. These include the implementation of the Government’s strategy to reintegrate street children into their families and communities. Since the implementation of the strategy to date, more than 3,500  have been reunited with their families.
4. The second example is the ongoing national campaign against child neglect officially launched in November 2017. This campaign will have the merit of meeting the challenge of combating child neglect at school. Hygiene, education, nutrition, health care and many other aspects. Awareness-raising for the commitment to the rights of children has been conducted. Here, we welcome the commitment made by all communes’ administrators to increase the level of the supporting section for the vulnerable during budget planning.

5.     . Alongside this strategy and commitment, the government has instituted a day dedicated to local solidarity (last Saturday of July), which will contribute to a clear improvement of the situation of children in general and vulnerable children in particular. In addition, the updated National Child Protection Policy will soon be submitted to the authority empowered for its adoption. The same is true of the Child Protection Code.6.     The Government reaffirms its determination to ensure the full protection of all children and to support vulnerable families.7.      In our country, the festivities will take place on June 18, 2019 and will take place in Buterere zone of Bujumbura mayorship.8.     We take this opportunity to invite the inhabitants of Buterere and the surrounding area to respond massively to these ceremonies.9.     Happy celebration to all children of Burundi and  Africa