‘Adopt friendly policies for kids’
IT’S critical to adopt initiatives that improve the welfare of children in Manicaland and protect them from neglect and abuse, a social welfare officer has said.
Speaking at the launch of Simukai’s Strategic Plan in Manicaland recently, provincial social welfare officer Mrs Charity Ndadzungira expressed concern over the status of children in the province, which she described as unstable.
She said family structures and communities are failing to safeguard the interests of this vulnerable group.
“The condition of children in the province is a cause for concern, as most of them are being neglected and exposed to situations that are detrimental to their well-being.
“Children without parental care remain a serious concern in terms of protection in Manicaland. A total of 51 children are under formal foster care, while 442 are in children’s homes. The absence of a family set up has led to an increase in behavioural problems for these children. Abandonment of children exposes them to exploitation and abuse. Civic organisations have complemented Government and society’s efforts to rehabilitate these children in safe homes, as well as reuniting them with their families,” she said.
She said cases of neglect and emotional abuse of children were high in the province, with some mothers turning to the courts to force men to take care of their children.
“Most men are refusing to take care of their children. Most of them either deny paternity or try to pay unreasonably small amounts for the upkeep of the children,” she said.
Child marriages and teen pregnancies, she added, continued to increase due to economic and cultural influences.
According to Mrs Ndadzungira, 76 percent of children in the province were being turned away from schools for failing to pay school fees.
“Dropout levels remain high due to poverty, with transition from primary to secondary education characterised by low enrolment and turnout due to socio-economic conditions.”
She also noted that malnutrition continued to be a challenge.
“Nutrition levels are low due to dry spells that afflicted the country during the rainy season. This has resulted in deteriorating school performance, school dropouts as well as stunting. Climate change has affected the quality of life of children, especially in rural areas as they have to walk distances to find fruits, firewood and water due to erratic rainfall.
“Incessant droughts have meant that caregivers are now focusing more on sourcing for food, relegating the children’s other needs like education and health. This has increased the vulnerability of children, as it makes them prone to diseases, malnutrition, food insecurity, hunger and water scarcity,” she said.
It is believed that most of the challenges force children to prematurely get into the labour market to supplement household income because of household poverty and inadequate parental or family care.
There is also concern over rising cases of violence against children.
“Violence affects children’s health and development and there is need to remove these children from such setups and place them in places of safety,” said Mrs Ndadzungira.