The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today (Wednesday) celebrates the world children’s day with a call to countries to refocus their energies on ‘the millions of children who are victims of violence and abuse that continues to go unnoticed and under-reported’.
UNICEF has also called for emphasis of children rights as enshrined in the United Nations (UN) Convention of the Rights of the Child.
The UN declared November 20 as world children’s day.
“Too often, abuse occurs in the shadows: undetected, unreported, and – even worse – too often accepted,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.
“We all have a responsibility to ‘make the invisible, visible’ – from governments enacting and enforcing laws to prohibit violence against children, to private citizens refusing to be silent when they witness or suspect abuse.”
“Violence against children does more than harm individual children, it undermines the fabric of society, affecting productivity, well-being, and prosperity,” said Lake. “No society can afford to ignore violence against children.”
In Uganda, according to a 2012 report by Global Living, Luuka district has the highest rate of child abuse and violation of child rights. The report found out that 1,500 children in Luuka are in and out of school due to child violence and abuse.
