Plan-led coalition calls on Zambia to protect child rights

Plan's programmes help children across Zambia to access their rights

6 March 2008: Plan has formed a coalition of child rights non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to help Zambia bring its laws in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In response to the UN universal periodic review which examines each member state’s human rights record, Plan called for and funded a series of workshops with NGOs – including Save the Children and Zambia Civic Education Association – to compile comments on the status of children’s rights in Zambia and put forward key recommendations.

Protect children!

The Plan-led coalition called on the Zambian government to speed up the law reform process and develop a comprehensive Children’s Act within the next 3 years that will offer effective protection for children in the country.

Other recommendations include:

• develop clear guidelines for mainstreaming child participation
• prioritise birth registration
• prohibit all forms of corporal, physical and humiliating punishment of children
• train counsellors specifically for children to deal with HIV and AIDS issues
• take measures to provide for the needs of children with disabilities.

The coalition also called on the government to immediately ratify the 2 optional protocols of the Convention on the Rights of the Child – on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and on the involvement of children in armed conflicts.

The recommendations were published in leading newspapers and will feed into Zambia’s report on the human rights situation for submission to the UN Human Rights Council.

Strong coalition

John Morris, Plan Zambia’s country director, said:

“I was impressed with the ownership shown by the participation of many stakeholders from both international and local NGOs in developing the periodic report.  This brought together various ideas that demonstrate the collective commitment for the promotion of children’s rights.

“We hope that the government as primary duty bearer will take measures to ensure implementation of child rights and particularly the protection of children from violence and destitution.”

Full submission to the Zambia universal periodic review (75kb | 7 pages)