Day Of The African Child: What Future for Displaced Children In Crisis NW?

News commentary

image coutersy of Flickr.com.

Initiated by the then Organisation of African Unity(OAU) in 1991, today June 16th 2020 we commemorate another edition of the day of the African child, in honour of the hundreds that were shot among the  thousands of black school children who were marching in protest of the poor quality of education they were receiving in the city of Soweto in South Africa.

 Cameroon over the years in solidarity with other African nations, have been engaged in a number of actions intended to raise awareness on the rights and plights of children in the country through so many activities, amongst which have been the institution of a junior parliament, wherein session junior parliamentarians drawn from the ten regions of the country come together to articulate issues threatening their rights, existence and livelihood such as child trafficking and exploitation.

image courtesy of alarmy.com

Since the outbreak of the anglophone crisis in cameroon in 2016, many children in the english speaking regions of the country, haven't had the opportunity to enjoy quality education, which is one of their premodial rights.

Many of the children displaced by the conflict that turned violent in 2017 have been forced to abandon school and are now entangled in activities that one way or the other, puts them in harms way.

Those whose parents or guardians haven't been bankrupt by the crisis or who haven't lost their lives to the conflict, have either been enrolled into schools in the non conflict french speaking parts of the country.

The story is however different for displaced children without anyone nor relatives to support them in quest to attain adulthood, talk less of providing them with the greatest gift a parent can offer his/her child which is education.

Even within the current context of the Covid-19 pandemic, it's still very easy to spot in the city of Bamenda, homeless children battling to survive.

From time to time one gets a scratch on the back from these children,  requesting you to make purchase of items like face napkins, bitter kola to name just these.

image coutersy of Pinterest

Majority are being exploited under the new 419 scheme disguised under the umbrella of "network marketing". Under this croockerish business scheme, the owner rents a flat where he/she harbors 10-15 of these children and sends them out everyday with products to sell.

Sometimes these children receive as minimum as 200fcfa as food allowance for the whole day and their suppose salary are determine by the number of products they manage to sell per day.

Just like you the readers, these children desperately wish for a day when things will return to normal to be able to move back to their regions of origin.

It's equally their wish to live in a Community full of love. A country and Community where their rights are respected and no one is exploited.

As we reflect to create awareness about their plights, there's need for government, civil society organisations, the media and other child protection services to not only  raise awareness but take concrete measures to remedy their situation.

The children deserve to enjoy their fundamental rights, which are the rights to shelter, food, education, be protected by the state amongst others. 

It's worth mentioning that the leaders of the anglophone conflict since 2016 began using school boycott as a strategy to protest what they say has been years of  anglophone marginalisation in a bilingual country with over forty(40) years of history on it's independence.

By Martial Gnoukapasir