The 2010 report on the State of the World’s Children was officially launched in Maseru on Friday to mark the 20th anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Lesao Lehohla performed the official launch in the presence of the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Mpeo Mahase-Moila, and United Nations officials.

The report highlights progress achieved in reaching out to children who are still being denied their rights to survival, development, protection and participation.

Speaking at the launch, Mahase-Moiloa said the CRC represented a milestone in the historic effort to achieve a world fit for children, and a world where children have access to quality services such as health and education.

”The government of Lesotho will table the Child and Protection Welfare Bill in Parliament in the first quarter of the coming year. Enacting the Bill is the greatest gift that the parliament can give to Basotho children,” he said.

At the same event, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative here, Ahmed Magan, said that there have been many positive developments, including progress in children’s participation in education, strengthening of child protection services such as Child and Gender Protection Unit and Child Helpline Services since the CRC was adopted by the UN.

On behalf of the children, Lieketseng Nkune, appealed to counterparts and youth not to abuse their rights afforded to them by the government, the aged and other elders.

Ratified into law by almost all the countries in the world in 1992, the convention and its principles have motivated governments worldwide to place children’s rights and development at the forefront of their agendas.

This week, children in Lesotho engaged in several activities that include visiting the parliament, where they appealed to the government to speed up the enactment of the 2004 Child and Protection Welfare Bill.

Source African Press Agency

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