The Commonwealth must work together to end the institutional care of children and reform protection services to ensure: “every child is safe, protected and able to reach their full potential”, the Commonwealth Secretary-General has said.
Her comments came during a roundtable meeting of government officials, stakeholders and experts on Thursday, to discuss the implementation of the Kigali Declaration on Child Care and Protection Reform – one of the four declarations unanimously agreed upon by Commonwealth Heads of Government in Rwanda last June.
The Declaration is a historic agreement among Commonwealth countries that focuses on ensuring and restoring the rights of children following the COVID-19 pandemic, paying particular attention to the most marginalised and excluded.
It contains commitments to phase out orphanages in the Commonwealth and opt for community care of children; to tackle the underlying causes that lead to separation of parents and children, to establish sustainable and effective safeguarding systems and to eliminate child labour in all its forms, including forced labour, trafficking, and sexual exploitation.
Commonwealth Secretary General, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, said:
“More than five million children around the world still live in institutions. Most of these children are not orphans – around 80% of them have at least one living parent.
“But their institutionalisation disproportionately exposes them to vulnerabilities and marginalisation, which can inhibit their development and life chances.
“The truth is that growing up in a family environment is critical to a child’s well-being and development, and every child is entitled to a happy and fulfilling upbringing under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
She added: “This is just one of many areas where the Commonwealth can make a real difference.
“We can all work together to prioritise support for, investment in, and reform of childcare and protection services – to enable children to live without abuse or discrimination of any kind; to enjoy their civil, political, social and cultural rights; and to flourish as equal, valued and productive human beings.
“We cannot afford to fail our children, so we must give their wellbeing the priority it deserves – and act together to ensure that every child in Commonwealth is safe, protected and able to reach their full potential.”
The far-reaching Declaration recognises that child protection and safeguarding are cross-cutting issues that have strong links to the Commonwealth Secretariat’s work on youth, disability, health, education and early childhood development.
Youth-focused action is being given a spotlight in 2023 as it is the Year of Youth – a seminal 12 months designated for the empowerment and inclusion of the 1.5bn under-30s living in the Commonwealth.
The roundtable meeting was set to build a consensus on a focus for the effective implementation of the Declaration and to agree on collabroation between Commonwealth governments and civil society organisations, with the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Other speakers at the meeting included Joseph Kabakeza, First Counsellor from the Rwandan High Commission, Mark Waddington, CEO Hope and Homes for Children – a civil society organisation working with the Rwandan government on the Declaration initiative, and David Jones, Chair of Commonwealth Children Interest Group, Children of the Commonwealth.
Mr Kabakeza said: “The Kigali declaration on Child Care and Protection Reform highlights many of the areas where we must bolster our efforts.
“Rwanda will continue to collaborate with partners, and the Commonwealth network to champion the Kigali declaration, during our tenure as Commonwealth Chair-In-Office and beyond.”
Mr Waddington said: “Eliminating orphanages is a precondition of developing effective child protection and care systems and a key to unlocking the hardest to reach Sustainable Development Goals.
“The Kigali Declaration, agreed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda in 2022, recognises this imperative for action and places the Commonwealth at the centre of this global movement. Countries across the Commonwealth are demonstrating that care reform is possible and there is much learning and experience to share. Today’s roundtable is an important step.”
If you can’t feed your baby (Yeah, yeah)
Then don’t have a baby (Yeah, yeah)
And don’t think maybe (Yeah, yeah)
If you can’t feed your baby (Yeah, yeah)
You’ll be always tryin’
To stop that child from cryin’
Hustlin’, stealin’, lyin’
Now baby’s slowly dyin’
I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’
You got to be startin’ somethin’
I said you wanna be startin’ somethin’
You got to be startin’ somethin’
It’s too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You’re too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You’re stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
It’s too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You’re too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You’re stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
There will always be a need for Childcare institutions as long as broken individuals, spirits and broken homes continue to exist.
State run Childcare agencies and instutions, whose very existence and viability depend on hard earned tax payer funds and philantropic contributions, must be supported and allowed to provide this much needed community service.
Children should be loved and honoured.
How can they be cared for and be protected if the parents are sucking salt Mam….
Well, what did Britain do with all our wealth, and money, after leaving us poor broke and mostly illiterate while they acquire nuclear, religious and educational weapons to maintain dominance over you and your whole continent?
We get their “aid” instead don’t we?
Empty words from someone who told Dominicans to “Suck Salt,” if they did not blindly support the current Political Party and their nonsense. You proudly encouraged adults to disregard their free will and remain in bondage, but when it’s convenient for your office, we read statements about vulnerable children within the Commonwealth that are not in keeping with what you preach. Yet another empty statement about a grand idea that will go nowhere.
First of all allyou need to change the educational system of Competition!!!
From crèche to Six Form college and beyond allyou have systematically brainwash us to believe some of us are better than our brothers and sisters,,,
Move to a concept of teaching children that all must embrace our uniqueness and enhance our natural talents from an early age,,,
All cannot be Doctors!!!
Just like the Asians have accomplished, we should move away from that Albino concept and let the children be more interactive in learning,,,
According to the Asian concept, not all the children will comprehend the subject matter being taught at the same time, so they have followed a concept whereby the ones whom grasp the concept being taught first, is given an opportunity to explain/express to their classmates the concept at a level they will relate to,,,
All systems are not perfect but them Asians are doing something that surely makes them excel at levels surpassing other educational…
In today’s post empathy world children are often victims of unscrupulous adults and systems riddled with corruption. There is an urgent need to protect our children from every conceivable evil.
Unfortunately, there is usually much talk about this timely topic which is not matched by action and implementation of the great protective policies we often espouse.
Children are our most invaluable resource and it’s our sacred duty to do everything to keep them from harm and danger. They should all grow up in a loving and nurturing environment.
The Rt.Hon Baroness Patricia Scotland QC from St.Joe city.A lady UWP and their supporters did not want to see hold the position of Commonwealth Secretary-General.Our next President will be Dr.Carrissa Etienne.
Flies are attracted to smelly, filthy waste, ignoramuses to foul-mouthed, godawful, queer characters.
AA, she there still nuh?? Some creatures have balls or hauls.