ZINGO Advocacy Campaigns Around Issues of Child Rights

ZINGO sub granted to 6 mother bodies to embark on the advocacy activities around issues of child rights, based on action plans of the Siavonga religious Leaders meeting held in September 2007. The mother bodies took each the issues identified and began to mobilize the communities and sensitized them over those issues in light of child rights using the child rights programming concept.

The faith organizations have been challenged and awakened to the reality of child rights violations as a major contributing factor to exposing children to HIV infection.

It is worth noting that while some faith organizations have made major steps in advocating for the rights of children, others openly confessed that they needed a bit more enlightening on the issues of children rights in the face of HIV and AIDS .The secretariat has provided this technical assistance.

The response by the faith mother bodies has been over whelming this has resulted into formation of networks around issues of child rights for promotion, protection and provision of the same. In Lusaka , the independent Churches of Zambia (ICOZ) has brought together 8 different organizations ; the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) has brought 16 congregations together as a network; whilst in Kabwe the Baha’i National Spiritual Assembly through its member organization CHEN 5 organization has been brought together to fight for child rights. In Mazabuka over 15 organizations have been brought on board through the evangelical fellowship in Zambia (EFZ).Over 42 faith based organization and non faith organizations have enlisted into fighting for the rights of the children in particular for their right survival and development.

ACTIVITIES BY MOTHER BODIES

The Baha’i National Spiritual Assembly of Zambia

The Baha’i community worked in Kabwe to address the issue of inadequate commitment to the holistic development of children. Using the principles of the Child rights programming the Baha’i were able to demonstrate the inadequacy of commitment to a holistic development of the child in the conventional child programs running in the district. The open forum was attended by 13 heads of organizations from within Kabwe. The five resolved to work as a Network to promote child rights programming in Kabwe if a holistic approach to child development is ever to be attained.

The Baha’i national spiritual assembly further collaborated with Maranatha community radio station to sensitize the Kabwe community on the concept of child rights programming. Feedback has been received from 35 people from a wide range of community based organizations as having listened to the program and enquiring how they would get the principles practically work on the ground.

Council of Churches in Zambia

Council of churches in Zambia held a one day convention (Workshop) on advocacy. 16 congregation heads attended the workshop. The workshop reflected on the origin of the Idea to advocate for the rights of children. It was shared that the idea was born in August 2006 at a ZINGO national conference, where the heads of faith bodies franked with the whole of conference attendants signed a letter to the Zambian children to fight for their rights.

The leaders at the workshop regretted they have not lived to the promise that was made to the children and would at this time want to take up serious steps towards fulfilling their plea to the Zambian child.

The present leaders agreed to form what they called a task force to drive the way forward within the CCZ.
Within the period being reported the Task force met and came up with specific objectives they would like to pursue. The following were the objectives agreed upon:

•   To collect a thousand signatures from the community in support of the legislation against perpetrators of      Child abuse by December 2008
•   To establish parent groups from among CCZ member churches to commit themselves to the campaign      against every form of child abuse by December 2008
•   To a rise 1000 parents committed as community advocates for children rights by June 2009 from within      the task force

The Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia

The evangelical fellowship of Zambia carried their campaign through the office of the district commissioner of Mazabuka. This was a follow up to their previous work on the fight against child sexual abuse. This they say has been an infringement on the children’s right to play and has exposed a lot of children in the district to HIV infection. The church leaders wrote a letter in which they condemned child molestation and abuse and suggested ways which they thought government would bring an end to this evil. It was suggested that communities be continually sensitized over the issue and that perpetrators be sternly punished. The other suggestion has been to carry out an extensive research and document the root causes to this unbecoming behavior trend and try to address them.

The church leaders had the audience of the district leadership and suggest a follow up on the same to ensure the right of children to play and their protection from HIV infection is enhanced.
15 faith based organization participated in the campaign.

Independent Churches of Zambia

Independent churches of Zambia embarked on advocating for the provision of food supplements to school going children both in public schools and community schools.

ICOZ worked with its member churches to bring awareness to the general public over the need for children to be provided by nutritional supplements. ICOZ first sensitized 10 churches and ministries on the importance of advocacy for the children’s Right to life, survival and development. These worked together with other 8 strategic partners who included Government Ministries, Nongovernmental organizations in child care, and firms in food production to demonstrate to the National leadership and the food producing entities of society the need for providing food to children in school.

1,900 children were provided with nutritious Maheu and Milk which was donated by Trade Kings Zambia ltd and Parmalat Zambia.

A press statement on the importance of provision of nutritional food supplements in schools was published in both print and electronic media.

Zambia Episcopal Conference (ZEC)

ZEC undertook advocacy work around the issue of street children with an aim to provide an alternative to handling streetsm in Zambia. ZEC tried to establish the reasons why the children were on the street, what kind of children were on the street, and what they actually want on the street. ZEC did this to build evidence and a case around the issue. Fifty children on the street were interviewed and the following have been the reasons given.

Peer Pressure

Children have testified coming on the train from as far as Kitwe because their friends told them Lusaka was nice. Having nothing to do at home they get on the train and finally get stranded and remain on the streets.
ZEC observes parental negligence as one issue that must be dealt with if the problem of children on the street has to be contained. The parents on the copper belt have not reported their children as missing regardless of having legislature that requires them to do so.”Such exposure of children to hazardous conditions is un acceptable” says the ZEC NAPEC Member Mr. Derrick Mweemba. These children live on the street and have confessed of homosexuality particularly anal sex.

Poverty

It was established that the children on the street were mainly those that were looking for survival and are residents of compounds around Lusaka. A few care givers were interviewed most of whom are blind residing in one of the compounds in Lusaka. Children and care givers alike say they cannot survive without sending their children on the street. “Our children are our survival” says one of the blind women. There is no other way, government should come and help otherwise children will continue suffering, contends one of the data collectors.

ZEC has compiled this data and will move further and suggest ways which government may include amongst its many other ways to help reduce the number of children on the street.

This start for ZINGO has been an absolute necessity that has made ZINGO aware of how deep rooted the problems of nutrition , stretism, child abuse, and general survival and development of children are, in the socio-cultural issues. Whilst from the start the issue has been viewed as a purely rights issue our interactions with the community justifies a swing into addressing the socio - cultural issues which are the root causes of the violations predisposing children to HIV - infection