And a quiet reminder that south sudan still needs to ratify
the convention on the rights of the child.
As a matter of urgency and priority.
I guess I’m mainly thinking about the issue of child labour.
And here I do not mean household chores (e.g. fetching
water, which is surely every African child’s nightmare but is also a necessity
in the home. I guess I consider this as a responsibility/chore, not as ‘work’)
However, I see so many children on the streets of Juba
hustling for a living. Actually hustling
to earn money – I don’t know if this is to support their family or if they have
no family and are making money to support themselves… or. Kids as young as 5-6
years old, walking around selling air freshener’s (for cars, mainly. We gotta
keep the V8s freshly scented), or shining shoes – very prevalent around the
Ministries… including around the ministry of gender, child and social welfare,
children washing cars, children collecting money in the public transportation
taxis (I’ve seen a kid who looked all of 5-years doing this work. I felt guilty
giving him my fare). This, usually in the middle of the day when said children
should be in school. Its almost as
though schooling is not compulsory – even though it is in our constitution as
the right of every child.
This is not just in Juba. When I was in Terekeka, there were
so many children, outside hotels, waiting for clients to finish their food and
leave the plate on the table, then they would very quickly dash in and finish
whatever was left on the plate.
We must do better, south sudan
