Submitted by crinadmin on
In Soweto, South Africa, thousands of black school children took to the streets in 1976, in a march more than half a mile long, to protest against the inferior quality of their education and to demand their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young boys and girls were shot down; and in the two weeks of protest that followed, more than a hundred people were killed and more than a thousand were injured. To honour the memory of those killed and the courage of all those who marched, the Day of the African Child has been celebrated on 16 June every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organisation of African Unity. The Day also draws attention to the lives of African children today. The theme of each year is decided by the African Union Commission in consultation with the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. This day has also become an opportunity to examine progress towards health, education, equality and security for all African children and on the implementation of the regional African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which entered into force in November 1999, is the first regional treaty on the human rights of children. The Charter complements the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, taking into account social and cultural values of Africa and offering protection against violations of children’s rights. Its implementation is supervised by the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The theme of the Day of the African Child 2007 is “Child Trafficking.” Read more here. Previous Days of the African Child 2007: Child Trafficking 2006: Protecting Children from Violence - CRINMAIL 2005: Orphans and Vulnerable Children 2004: Popularising the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 2003: Birth Registration: to each child, an identity