Every nation is expected to cherish and respect children as they are the future of tomorrow. The world has so far recorded high rate of child abuse which has consequently affected the rights of children. In order to put a stop to such abuse, many African countries have stood against such act in order for the children to have a befitting place in the society.
However, the respect of children’s rights is one of the basic principles of the United Nations resulting in the global ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. The organisation is highly concerned and worried about the way children are treated in some countries.
It was reported recently that the rights of children is however not adhered to by some countries as highlighted in the latest KidsRights Index that ranks countries to stimulate compliance with children’s rights worldwide. However, the 2017 ranking – published by international NGO KidsRights Foundation – was based on United Nations data and covers five domains including rights to life, health, education, protection and enabling environment for Child Rights.
It was confirmed that 165 countries were ranked globally and that North and southern African countries scored highest in Africa.
The 165 governments represented in the Index have been ranked according to their level of child dignity. The level of child abuse and trafficking in the countries were also considered. These abuse will severely hamper the opportunities of future generations to reach their full potential.
It was reported that Tunisia ranked 9th globally, followed by Egypt, Libya, Algeria and Morocco ranking 16th, 59th, 69th and 80th respectively in North Africa. In southern Africa, South Africa ranked 84th, followed by Namibia and Botswana ranking 92nd and 104th.
The least performing countries in Africa include the Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau ranking 165, 163, 161, 160, and 159 respectively. The governments of these countries have assured that positive changes will be made to protect the rights of children in their countries.
Also, among the global bottom-ten countries are the United Kingdom and New Zealand which ranked 156 and 158 respectively. These countries have been urged to further rearrange their systems of child handling.
“Discrimination against vulnerable groups of children and youths should be met head-on by all 165 governments represented in the Index. It is severely hampering the opportunities of future generations to reach their full potential,” Marc Dullaert, founder and chairman of the KidsRights Foundation said.
United Nations urges the world nations to try as much as possible to minimize the level of child abuse in their countries. It also said that virtually all the countries of the world are guilty of this act. In addition, children are entitled to exercise their rights as this will help discover their potentials which can eventually help the nation grow.
