Namibia makes strides in child protection: Geingob

WINDHOEK, June 17– Namibian President Hage Geingob on Sunday acknowledged the country’s efforts in promoting child security and protection, as Namibia joins the rest of Africa in commemorating the Day of the African Child.

The Day of the African Child has been commemorated every year on June 16 since 1991. This year’s theme is “Humanitarian Action in Africa: Children’s Rights First.”

Geingob, who is also chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), encouraged Namibia and the entire SADC region to scale up their efforts to ensure the future of the African child is made brighter.

“Namibia has done considerable work on protecting the rights of the child, ranking in the top ten child-friendly countries in Africa,” he said in a press statement. “The Namibian Constitution provides for the protection of the rights of children and government has social protection mechanisms for orphans and vulnerable children.”

Geingob said his government is scaling up interventions and commits to do more to realize a brighter future for the youth and the African child.

He urged SADC member states to work together for the protection of the rights of the African child within the framework of the SADC Minimum Package of Services for Orphans, Vulnerable Children and Youth, and other regional instruments.- XINHUA