The Sunday Mail
Toddy Chiriseri
Tick Tock, the clock is ticking. Every minute there is either pain or joy ,conflict or gladness ,crisis or happiness .Have you ever realised that today is the tomorrow that you talked about yesterday? Now l pose a question to you all. Is that tomorrow clear and that today worth to live in joy or just a confusion in the midst of darkness? I live that to you to answer but today l have come to uplift and bring into resurrection all the buried giants of Africa to rise and stand on the ground ready to fight.
The title of this piece is “CONFLICTS AND CRISIS IN AFRICA PROTECTING ALL CHILDRENS RIGHTS.’’
Conflict is a violent situation, certainly crisis is a time or period of confusion, danger or mess. November 20 is the day when the convention of the children charter is remembered, which was signed in 1989. It has been 26 years since the document has been signed but we still face conflicts and crisis in Africa.
As they say that Africa is the darkest continent. I am here to shade off the dark and put on the light separating the children of
Africa from being dull to be the Einsteins with knowledge. The same darkness that has befallen the children of Africa and bring light to protect our rights.
Firstly any person below the age of 18 according to article 1 of the charter, is a child, technically meaning that both l and you are under this obligation. Are you enjoying life children of Africa l pose this Questions to you all. NO!!!
Some children of our age are discriminated, they are treated like trash, looked down upon and even raped.
We are in a time of danger, confusion or mess because you do not know who to look up to, every time you look to a person you are always discriminated, stigmatised but according to article 2 of the charter it states that everyone is equal. So is this fair my brother or my sister? No l don’t think so, let us join hands in the armed struggle.
Child trafficking has become one of the most prominent illegal trades with higher outputs. Well we stand quiet and treated like robots whilst we have to put an end to this. Our own sisters are sold into brothels made labour workers or even sex workers for free. If you are an unashamed child of Africa let us put an end to this.
No one has the right to suppress your feelings or anything that you say. We as Zimbabwean children we have a privilege; we can just dial 116 free of charge if you are facing abuse or rather treated like nobody whilst we are everybody. Statistics record over 40 million children are beaten over nothing is this fair? NO!! l don’t think so.
Let us not be forced to do what they want us to do discriminate us ,look down upon us or even make us labour workers like cows , but let our voices be heard and let it all out as children of Africa.
My brother is that fair to see your own sister being sold to a person who is the same age as your father in the name of culture?
Or my sister is it fair to see me your brother walking down the streets without food, shelter or even education? Is it fair boys and girls? No its not
We have the right to food, shelter, education, the right express our feelings and thoughts, the right to make our own decisions and not be treated like robots.
We should stand firm in uplifting the giants of Africa that are buried in misery and conflicts. Let us stand united and become One,
We are One Africa, One Nation, One Continent with One Vision. We are the World we are the children we are the ones that can make the world a better place.
Let us work together and change the world.
‘’A small body of determined spirits fired up by unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of History.’’
I hope I have fired up your spirit so join hands with me and partner up with me to eradicate all the conflicts and crisis and protect our own rights by imparting knowledge.
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