Gov’t urged to protect children against harmful practices

June 16, 2020 News, Newsbeat, South Sudan

Children in an over congested classroom in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya(Photo credit: UNESCO)

June 16, 2020 (SSNN) – South Sudan government has been told by a local human rights watchdog to protect children against harmful practices in the country.

The Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA), a Juba-based rights organization, urged the government in a statement extended to South Sudan News Now to respect its commitment of protecting the children when it signed the Child Rights Convention (CRC).

“The Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) notes in agreement with the other international partners that South Sudan is among the countries with children engaging in the worst forms of child labor, including in armed conflict and cattle herding,” the CPA said in a statement extended to South Sudan News Now.

“With the novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) pandemic raging on throughout the world, the focus of this year’s marking of the day is on the impact of the crisis on child labor.

“The COVID-19 health pandemic and the resulting economic and labor market shocks in South Sudan devastated by years of political and economic instability are having a huge impact on people’s lives and livelihoods. Sadly, children are the ones suffering now.

“The Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) is therefore appealing to the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) to solve the states’ allocation impasse so that a fully functioning government is in place.

“The Child Rights Convention (CRC) stipulates that; the child should be fully prepared to live an individual life in society, and brought up in the spirit of the ideals proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations and in particular in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity.

“This cannot happen where there is no peace and stability, child labor is aggravated by instability and the government of South Sudan as a matter of necessity MUST resolve the pending and outstanding issue in the R-ARCSS because, if the status quo is maintained, child labor identification and prosecution of the perpetrators will remain futile.

“Children must be protected against all harms because they are the future of South Sudan, not only South Sudan but humanity.”