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| Interior Minister Ousman Sonko |
Gambia’s
Ministry of Internal Security Thursday raised concerns over the possible
violation of street children who are without parental care.
The Ministry of
Interior, the Immigration Department, the Police Child Welfare Unit, and the
Department of Social Welfare jointly found a “rampant” presence of children on
the streets without parental care.
Some of whom
they said are brought to Gambia to be engaged in domestic work from
neighbouring countries.
Gambian children
are also seen in the street working as street vendors without any parental care
or guardians during the summer vacation, the Ministry said, citing violations
of the Children's Act 2005.
Section 41 (1)
of the Act states that a person shall not engage a child in exploitation labour,
and section 20 (2) of the Constitution of The Gambia 1997 states “no person
shall be required to perform forced labour.”
Warning
In an August 9
public statement, the Interior Ministry said: "Parents and guardians are
strongly warned to desist from such acts as it's not in the best interest of
the children”, and vows to continue work partners in the area of child
protection to ensure that all measures are in place for the protection of
children found on the streets without parental care.
“Children under
such situation are at high risk of being violated," the ministry said.
Most vulnerable
Early this year, a
flagship report of the United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, found that
Gambia’s urban children are facing some of the greatest inequalities and are
most vulnerable to infections and diseases.
The report “The State of the World’s
Children 2012: Children in an Urban World” launched on June 5, 2012 at Kotu Quarry, a
slum-dwelling in the Kanifing Municipality, Gambia’s Serrekunda West district –
found children living in this area grossly excluded from vital services.
“We know that you are among the most vulnerable children
in urban Gambia,” UNICEF country representative in Gambia, Mrs. Aichatou Diawara Flambert told the children of Kotu Quarry,
where in 2011, the Gambia Government evicted people it said were living in “squatters.”
“We know that you are at high risk of catching infections
and diseases such as malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia, from the unclean
environment you live in,” she added. “Many of you do not go to school and do
not enjoy your basic right to education.”
Most of the children residing at the Kotu Quarry were not
registered at birth, and with no proof of age and identity, they may lack the
basic protection against abuse and exploitation such as child labour, intensive
domestic work, child trafficking, early marriage and prosecution as an adult.
“The children of Kotu Quarry are among the most
disadvantaged and vulnerable children of the country,” admits Mr. Yankuba Colley, Mayor of Kanifing
Municipality, who added that “They are usually deprived of the most basic
services and denied the right to thrive.”
Written by Modou S. Joof
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