More investment needed to promote child rights in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam.As Tanzania joins the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day of the African Child, the SOS Children’s Villages Tanzania has called on the government and other stakeholders to work together to ensure children rights are protected.

 “We call for the government to put children’s rights protection on top of its agenda. The government and other stakeholders must invest heavily on children if the country is to secure its future,” said SOS Children’s Villages country director Mr Anatoli Rugaimukamu in a press release sent to the media today.

High levels of poverty and prevalence of violence against children and women as well as other socio-economic challenges put the future of many children in jeopardy, according to Mr Rugaimukamu.

He said the most of the children, who are living in vulnerable environment are at greater risk of falling victim to violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect which leads to compromised cognitive, emotional and psychological development that, in turn, hampers their future and success in life.

This year's commemorations on International Day of the African Child aim at creating a movement to transform care systems for children in need of alternative care, and stimulate people’s efforts to mobilize resources both local and global to fund programmes and activities that prioritize children’s welfare across the society. In Tanzania, an estimated 1,300,000 children are orphans due to HIV. They have lost either one or both of their parents because of the disease.

SOS has four Children’s Villages in Tanzania. They include SOS Youth Programmes, a number of SOS Kindergartens, SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools, SOS Social Centres and two SOS Medical Centres.

The first children village was opened in 1991.