“Advocacy for Children’s Rights and Safety”
SAFETY TOP is a project of Mercy Link Foundation Africa which promotes Child Safety, Children’s Rights,Child Protection, Child Well-being and Development.
Safety top promotes child well being and safety by empowering children, parents and local leaders on keeping Children safe and providing a hazard free environment.
According to the United Nations Convention of Rights of the Child, ALL children are born with fundamental freedom and ALL humans have some inherent rights.
- Children are innocent, trusting and full of hope.
- Their childhood should be happy and loving.
- Their lives should mature gradually as they gain new experiences.
But for many children, the reality of childhood is all together different. It’s estimated that about 64.82 deaths/1000 live births (2009 estimate) in Uganda will die before they celebrate their first birthday. Right through Uganda’s history, children have been abused and exploited. They suffer from homelessness, hunger, physical abuse, high infant mortality, limited opportunity for basis education, deficiency in health care, and work in harmful conditions.
In Uganda more than a third of inhabitants live below poverty line. Children are the primary victims. Their families can not ensure their health or their well-being particularly in the remote regions of the country.
Some children are sent to live in towns and cities as it is thought that they will be better off living in urban areas. Instead they often end up living on the streets. Their rights are neglected as a result of poverty, access to education for example in a privilege from which only the most fortunate children benefit.
Najjembe is one of the communities where we have undertaken the safety Top project. With the escalating child abuse threat in this community, through the local council leadership, we were able to engage the parents on a sensitization campaign on child protection and rights.
The local council team together with the parents selected have so far set a team called “The Child Rights Team” that would monitor and address child abuse cases in the community. They also proposed for more outreaches to the different schools and families in the community more so door to door outreach, crusades and movies to empower the locals. The Local council leaders pledged to help in any way possible in as far as mobilization and allocation of the places is concerned. The team selected were commissioned and given the responsibility to curb and address such cases under the supervision of the Local council leaders.