Lusaka, 16 June, 2021 / 1:10 pm (ACI Africa).
Members of the Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) have, on the annual event of the International Day of the African Child (DAC), appealed to leaders in the Southern African nation to do “everything that is possible” to protect children from experiencing the trauma caused by humanitarian crises.
In a Wednesday, June 16 video message, the Bishop Director for Education and Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults and Minors of ZCCB, Bishop Patrick Chisanga, highlights some of the situations that depict humanitarian crises in Zambia, including child labor, child marriages, abject poverty, limited access to education, poor health, food and nutrition.
Other social challenges that the Catholic Bishops in Zambia say are affecting children include inadequate supply of clean water, poor housing, COVID-19, as well as human-made disasters brought about by armed conflicts and dictatorial political regimes.
“I earnestly appeal to the civic and political leaders, traditional and religious leaders as well as to individual families to do everything possible to mitigate the impact and protect the children from suffering the trauma and long-life effects of the humanitarian crises,” they say.
ZCCB members “call upon all families and institutions that deal with children to put in place proper policies and to make deliberate steps towards the safeguarding of children from any form of abuse and harm, and creating a safe environment where every child can thrive and transition into mature and responsible adulthood.”
