Salima, Mana
Children in Salima through children’s parliament have attributed poverty and ignorance as key problems that are leading to early marriages, teenage pregnancies and school dropout among them in the district.
Addressing the audience at Salima Secondary School Hall on Friday, during 2024 first district children’s parliament, the speaker, Gift Phiri said many children are abused by their parents and guardians because they are forced to do certain things that violate their rights.
He said: “Due to failure to provide basic needs to children, most parents are marrying their children as a way of minimizing problems in their homes. They are taking the presence of a girl child as a business where when married, the groom will be responsible to provide financial support to them.
“Sometimes, we drop out of school due to inadequate school infrastructures, learning and teaching materials as well as environmental degradation that are exposing us to unfriendly environments. This platform has given us an opportunity to voice out our concerns, share experiences and let duty bearers to promote and protect our rights.”Phiri emphasized that duty bearers have to seriously consider the improvement of things in the district to improve education and protect the children from all forms of abuse that affect their lives.
During the deliberations, the children urged duty bearers to address the raised issues and punish all perpetrators that are fueling the violations of the abuses by setting by-laws that will protect them.
Speaking in an interview, Principal Secretary responsible for Administration and Finance in the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare, Nwazi Mnthambala applauded the passion shown by the young parliamentarians and promised to see that their issues are attended to.
“The voices of children feed into our national development plans and our visions. I have encouraged the district council to take serious considerations on the issues that the district children’s parliament and the resolutions that they have given us so that when we are planning we should include the issues raised.
“Those that touch on national and policy level, the ministry will take them on board and share them with other sectors in terms of policy directions and policy formulation as regards solving the problems and taking into account issues they have raised,” she said.
In his remarks, Chairperson for Salima District Council, Ephraim Manthepa said the council will ensure that they address the challenges raised, but also see to it that the rights of children are promoted and protected at all cost.
“These children have exhausted important ideas on how we can solve the problems to improve and promote their rights. We have received their resolutions and we will make sure that concerned parties within the council will look up and determine what we can do to achieve what they have come with in their resolutions,” he said.Meanwhile, the parliament has been recommended as the best platform that empowers, inspire and motivate children to chase their dreams. The children have also been crowned as stewards on environmental degradation and calls for sustainability.
The ceremony was supported by Save the Children, World Vision Malawi, Women Legal Resources Centre (WOLREC) and Kindle Orphan Outreach in collaboration with Salima District Council.
This year’s theme was, “Children’s voice matter” and it drew children from every part of the district including those with albinism and those with disabilities to debate and discuss issues affecting them.
