Strengthening Children's Rights: Children and Young People with Vision petition the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Action

The Children and Youth with Vision platform has submitted a petition to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Action that aims to strengthen the fulfilment of Children's Rights. In particular, key sectors such as education, health, social protection and the specific situation of children affected by terrorism in Cabo Delgado.

The submission took place at an audience granted to the CVJ Platform by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Action, Paulo Francisco of Silva Beirão. Here they discussed ways of strengthening collaboration between the government and civil society in the promotion and protection of children's rights in Mozambique.

 "This event was a milestone in the defence of the rights of children and young people in our country, and we are counting on the media's coverage and dissemination to amplify the importance of this cause," says the representative of the CJV Platform.

The petition expresses the interest of thousands of Mozambican children and young people, 2000 signatures in total were collected over a period of two years. The reasons why children and young people want to see efforts doubled to positively reverse the current scenario are summarized as follows:

1. Education: guaranteeing children's access to, and permanence in school, especially for girls affected by adverse factors such as early pregnancy, early unions and security issues.

2. Health: Improving access to quality health services, with special attention to rural areas and to vaccination.

3. Social Protection: Strengthen protection against violence, abuse and neglect, through training professionals working with children.

4. Food and Nutrition: Combat child malnutrition and guarantee the availability of essential micronutrients.

5. Child Protection in Cabo Delgado: i) Provide immediate assistance to children internally displaced by terrorism. ii) Ensuring shelter for internally displaced people due to terrorism. iii) Guaranteeing shelter, food, drinking water, health care, as well as security measures and psychological support.

"The government is attentive to the reality of children. I would like to point out that most of these concerns illustrated in this petition are already included in the Third National Action Plan for Children (PNAC III), which will soon be submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval," said Paulo Beirão, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Action.

PNAC III is a strategic document developed by the Mozambican government with the aim of promoting and protecting children's rights in the country. This plan serves as a guideline for the implementation of policies, programs and actions aimed at improving the lives of Mozambican children in various areas, such as health, education, social protection and human rights.