UNICEF says SA should prioritise children’s protection

UNICEF

Cape Town — The United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has called on South Africa’s government to make protecting the country’s children its priority.

As South Africa enters 30 years of democracy, UNICEF released a report called the “Manifesto for Every Child 2024: Time to PROTECT and PRIORITIZE” and focused on efforts to protect and prioritise the rights of South Africa’s children.

The ‘Manifesto’ calls for children and young people – the nation’s largest and greatest resource – to be put front and center in the country’s development.

““The holistic progress of a nation relies on a commitment to ensure its children not only survive but thrive,” said Christine Muhigana, UNICEF South Africa Representative.

Muhigana said the Manifesto sets out a series of tasks and actions that will protect and prioritise children, especially those who are vulnerable such as refugees and those living with disabilities.

The ‘Manifesto’ recognises child rights progress over the past three decades, following the signing of the Convention on the Rights of the Child but also called for a renewed sense of urgency and action to protect the rights of children and accelerate progress towards the National Development and Sustainable Development goals by 2030.

UNICEF South Africa’s ‘Manifesto’ calls on all partners, from government to private sector, academia to civil society and children and young people themselves, to engage in and strengthen efforts to protect and prioritize children and build a safer, fairer, and better South Africa for every child – for everyone.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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