Child abuse still rampant, conference told

By Beauttah Omanga

Child abuse is still rampant in east Africa and lawyers from six countries now want a regional court to address the issue.

About 40 representatives from law societies resolved at a two-day international conference in Nairobi that there should be a children’s court with powers to punish adults who subject minors to abuse.

"We should prevail upon our governments to set aside funds for the establishment of the court," urged lawyer Tom Chavangi.

The participants from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania expressed concern that FGM, child labour, forced early marriages, child trafficking, child soldiers and sexual exploitation were the areas through which minors were abused.

They said the international community should be drawn to unreported abuses in Somalia and DRC Congo where victims continue to suffer. The participants said despite rampant abuses globally, the International Criminal Court has only indicted one abuser in seven years.

Child soldiers

Mr Chavangi told the conference a study by his organisation recently established that the region has about 100,000 child soldiers in Uganda, Somali and Burundi alone.

"The children aged below 17 are forced into wars and some serve as sex slaves," said Chavangai.

The meeting was told that 1.2 million children in the region are trafficked annually to western countries for cheap labour.

Key facilitator, Prof Jaap Doek of the Third World Congress on Sexual exploitation of Children and Ms Yvonne Heselmans of the Plan International, Netherlands, said African children were being exploited and there was need for concerted efforts to rescue them.

Doek said the East African countries should establish a secretariat and instalment of the co-ordinator of the preparation phase and refine the mandate and procedures of the regional court by November.

 

 

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