KABUL (Pajhwok): Marking World Children’s Day, officials on Tuesday expressed concern over the bad situation of children in Afghanistan, saying five million minors were vulnerable in the country.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on Tuesday organized an event to celebrate World Children’s Day in Kabul.
GhulamHaidarJailani, deputy labor and social affairs minister, told the ceremony that vulnerable children existed in the whole world, but their situation in Afghanistan was graver.
He said that UNICEF figures showed around five million children in Afghanistan were vulnerable. Nearly a million children in Afghanistan are addicted to drugs and seven among each 10 minors face family and social violence, he said.
Jailani said that 47 percent of children in the country were forced into marriages, a matter he termed as of concern.
He said 66,000 orphaned children in Kabul alone were forced to do hard labor and there were 196,000 children with disabilities in the country and most of them lost their body parts in war related incidents.
Susan Bahman, a representative of UNICEF talking to today’s ceremony, said, “Nothing makes us happy than seeing children with smile on their faces and developments for children in Afghanistan.”
“Rights of children are spoken out not only through media, but also in political pledges, the power of a society turns into reality not by good wills, but with strategic investments…,” she said.
She said that despite efforts had been made for protection of children’s rights in terms of education, health and other areas, but Afghanistan was still one of the worst places for minors.
“Let’s promise on the World Children’s Day to invest on our minors… we benefit them from the eating, playing and love which is the right of every child,” she added.
Meanwhile, ZarqaYaftali, a women’s and children’s rights activist said, “Unfortunately hundreds of thousands of our children are deprived of primary rights due to the conflict, poverty, insecurity and negligence of the government, it does not guarantee a good future.”
She said that children were future builders of Afghanistan and they required special attention of the government.
On the other hand, President Ashraf Ghani in a message to the ceremony stated, “Celebrating World Children’s Day gives us the chance to focus on resolving children’s’ problems, providing them better education facilities and training them for future.”
“Unfortunately millions of children are deprived from their fundamental rights including education due to imposed wars in the country, but the good news is that more children go to school now compared to the past, health and cultural services have increased for them,” he said.
He said that the government had developed effective programs for the protection of children’s’ rights. Public awareness programs that educate the society to observe the rights of children also increased, Ghani added in his message.
Children deprived of all joys and love
Mohammad Yaser, 12, who was pushing a handcart of vegetables in Macrorayan area of Kabul told Pajhwok Afghan News that he was eight years old when his father died of cancer and his mother married another man.
Yaser who lives with his uncle, said that his uncle told him that he should work and earn money.
“My father was an engineer, I like very much to become an engineer, if I become able to go to school, I will definitely study engineering,” Yaser who is deprived of school said.
Seddiqa, 14, who sells pens and masks on road in Wazi Mohammad Akbar Khan area is another child who is deprived of education.
The girl did not want to appear on camera but said that the children’s day was meaningful for those who had money and parents.
Seddiqa who lost her father in a suicide attack and her mother is paralyzed, is the eldest child of her family. She said that her 12 years old brother was also selling goods on roadsides.
Both the children asked the government to pay attention to improvement of children’s livelihood and provide them with education facilities.
Mds/ma
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