The Child Rights that are not

Last night I gave a talk titled Holding up half the sky - pain in my heart. It was a very difficult talk to work on very emotional and I needed so much emotional support preparing and presenting it. I would like to thank all my friends who came and the new friends I made. The people who traveled from so far off from York to come and listen I am so humbled that you might honour me so.

Robert Half once said "When one teaches, two learn"
My talk followed the lives of two HIV positive Zimbabweans living in Zimbabwe with the current socio-economic conditions. I will post the video for those who would like to see. I will ignore the life of the gentleman in the video and focus on Angeline and her daugther Beauty. Angeline a single mother HIV positive had noone to look after her when she was really ill. She looked to her 10 year old daughter Beauty.

Beauty as the strong african girl she is rose to the challenge. In certain circles it is admirable to some it is amazing but at the end of the night I was a whole list of Human Right abuses no one is talking about. So I will talk about them. In writing this I refer a lot to the Convention of the Rights of the Child which makes particular referance to the State. I will ask you at this time to bear in mind that the government of Zimbabwe is currently unable to provide a lot of what it signed up to but I would like to draw you to Article 24 of the same convention which says '1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health. States Parties shall strive to ensure that no child is deprived of his or her right of access to such health care services.
2. States Parties shall pursue full implementation of this right and, in particular, shall take appropriate measures:
(a) To diminish infant and child mortality;
(b) To ensure the provision of necessary medical assistance and health care to all children with emphasis on the development of primary health care;
(c) To combat disease and malnutrition, including within the framework of primary health care, through, inter alia, the application of readily available technology and through the provision of adequate nutritious foods and clean drinking-water, taking into consideration the dangers and risks of environmental pollution;
(d) To ensure appropriate pre-natal and post-natal health care for mothers;
(e) To ensure that all segments of society, in particular parents and children, are informed, have access to education and are supported in the use of basic knowledge of child health and nutrition, the advantages of breastfeeding, hygiene and environmental sanitation and the prevention of accidents;
(f) To develop preventive health care, guidance for parents and family planning education and services.
3. States Parties shall take all effective and appropriate measures with a view to abolishing traditional practices prejudicial to the health of children.
4. States Parties undertake to promote and encourage international co-operation with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of the right recognized in the present article. In this regard, particular account shall be taken of the needs of developing countries. '
Those needs have been met by aid and development agencies.

The convention of the rights of the child states in Article 3 that 'In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.'

When you look at Beauty legally she is a child but in every other aspect she is no longer a child. Looking at her situation what is within her best interests? Are those interests I think are best for her realistic in her own world? Let's Explore.

Beauty at age 10 is looking after her terminally ill mother. She has no protective clothing whatsoever in all the work she does. She bathes her mother. Changes and washes linen when need be. In any other society Angeline should be taken to a hospice but this is in Zimbabwe 2007 that is a luxury mother and daughter cannot consider. If she must look after an ailing person a young child must be presented with protective clothing. Some training on how to protect herself from contamination would go a long way.
Article 17 of the CRC says: 'States Parties recognize the important function performed by the mass media and shall ensure that the child has access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of his or her social, spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental health. '

Beauty cooks for her mother and siblings forget the fact that at 10 she is the sole supporter of 4 individuals an adult included. They survive on Sadza and sugar beans. These two foods give her nothing but starch. Different organisations in Zimbabwe are giving food. It is very admirable and I along with a lot of people in Zimbabwe am very grateful for that. Sadza is top on any family's food list and families will go all out to get it. Would it be possible to add more variety to the food. Instead of a 50kg bag of beans how about cutting that to 25kg investing in a CBO and aiding them to have a community vegetable patch to aide people like beauty.
My point in this is if you take to helping why not do it in such a way that if qualitative instead of quantitative. I am also of the opinion that a qualitative approach creates a self sustaining community not always waiting for hand outs.
Article 24:2 c points out that 'States Parties shall pursue full implementation of this right and, in particular, shall take appropriate measures:(c) To combat disease and malnutrition, including within the framework of primary health care, through, inter alia, the application of readily available technology and through the provision of adequate nutritious foods and clean drinking-water, taking into consideration the dangers and risks of environmental pollution '

Beauty is still in school that is something to be grateful for. She lives in a semi urban area. Children in rural Zimbabwe usually get to school so tired from walking long distances to school. Beauty gets to school tired from the morning chores then the walk. Her breakfast is whatever she can salvage from the previous night's meal. Now we have her in school tired and severly malnourished what benefit are those few hours in school? Is it of any benefit to her to go to school? In addition to her right to education Beauty has the right Article 28: 1(e) to have someone 'Take measures to encourage regular attendance at schools and the reduction of drop-out rates. ' Her right to education right is being met but how effective and real is it? A lot of aspects of her life have to change to make the education right real.

Beauty is in primary school now and will be going to secondary school. Some one has to pay for that. With the death of her mother and absence of a guardian what line does she take in her life? She has no resources available to her to earn a living. She has noone to turn to. Noone to look after.