New project launched to boost fight for children's rights

The fight for children's rights has received a major boost after the launch of a new project aimed at strengthening the protection of child rights in the country.

The project dubbed Just Rights For Children, implemented by The Cradle, a children’s rights non-governmental organisation, seeks to end crimes against children and to realise justice for survivors of crimes against children.

The programme will focus on four areas, including Female Genital mutilation (FGM), child trafficking, child marriages, and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

The initiatives lined up under the programme include improving the legislative framework on child rights, enhancing budgetary allocation for child protection and welfare, providing legal representation to victims of child rights violations, and raising community champions and changemakers on child rights.

“We are concerned that crimes against children persist as a complex national challenge. As a CSO in the justice sector, we are reaffirming our commitment and resolve to scaling collaborative efforts towards combating crimes against children,” said Michael Wasonga, The Cradle’s executive director.

Implementation of the project brings together organisations focused on the protection of children’s rights, advocates and legislators for a holistic collaboration in combating crimes against children.

“We endeavour to continue with the rapid assessment of child marriages across the country, work on a national action plan on harmful practices against children, including child marriages and FGM,” Wasonga said.

Winnie Nyadiga, the country director for Just Rights Alliance, said the programme will enhance access to justice for children with a bias of the most vulnerable and marginalised by identifying gaps in legislation.

“We have so many cases where people who are supposed to be defending and protecting children are the ones who have turned out to be perpetrators,” she said.

In the ongoing amendment of the Sexual Offences Act 2006, Wasonga said the project will support the National Council on Administration of Justice SGBV committee in the process, which is intended to put into consideration emerging crime trends and technology.

Some of the suggested changes in the Act include the prohibition of traditional dispute resolutions, barring foreigners who are sexual offenders from entering the country, making public a list of sexual offenders as well as limiting the employability of convicts.

Other amendments include the establishment of police-run gender desks in public hospitals, the establishment of safe houses for victims, prosecution of people who fail to report sexual offences and child grooming.

Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo lauded the initiative citing the rising cases of crimes against children.

Despite the legal framework provided in the Constitution, the MP said the judiciary and investigators were the weakest links for being rigid in protecting child rights.

“We must move to be realistic and align ourselves with the realities of our time. The reality of our time is that there are very rampant cases of child sexual abuse,” said Odhiambo.

She cited the emerging cases of child abuse through technology which are not covered in the Constitution.

“We did not envisage Artificial Intelligence. It is here and we don’t expect that we will be amending the Constitution every time that those things come up because it’s meant to be a progressive Constitution,” Odhiambo said.

Odhiambo further acknowledged insufficient budgetary allocation that goes towards the protection and welfare of children on the pretext of economic constraints.

Under Just Rights for Children, the children’s unit at the Directorate of Criminal Investigation will get technical support in investigating and combating child trafficking in the country.