International Day of the African Child (16 June 2003)

In Soweto, South Africa, thousands of black school children took to the streets in 1976, in a march more than half a mile long, to protest the inferior quality of their education and to demand their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young boys and girls were shot down; and in the two weeks of protest that followed, more than a hundred people were killed and more than a thousand were injured.

To honour the memory of those killed and the courage of all those who marched, the Day of the African Child has been celebrated on 16 June every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organization of African Unity. The Day also draws attention to the lives of African children today. This year's theme is the need to ensure all children are registered at birth.

Source: UNICEF

News

Day of the African Child 2003: To each child, an identity (16 June 2003) (16.06.2003)
ILO to mark World Day Against Child Labour (12 June 2003) (11.06.2003)
West Africa: Stop trafficking in child labor (1.04.2003)
Uganda: Child abductions skyrocket in North (28.03.2003)
FIFA and ILO team up on worldwide campaign to fight child labour (14.02.2003)
West African leaders back UN envoy's calls for protecting war-affected children (6.02.2003)
UN Special Rapporteur set to visit South Africa (16.09.2002)

Useful links

Day of the African Child Web site (UNICEF)

Day of the African Child events in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cap Vert, Congo, RDC, Gambia, Guinee Conakry, Guinee Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sengal, Sierra Leone, Tchad

Day of the African Child events in Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda

UNICEF fact sheet on birth registration

Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)

International treaties on children's rights, particularly child labour:
- Text of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (1999)
- Simplified version of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

Selected learning materials

Our Homes, Our Lives, Ourselves: A Fun Book to Help Young People Get the Issues Right Concerning Women in Human Settlements Development
A booklet intended to help teenagers get an idea what it is like to be a woman. They do this by reading, thinking and investigating the role of women in various ways. The booklet includes a board game ('The Game of Life') and sections on finance, land, information, networking, environment.

Siniko. Towards a Human Rights Culture in Africa: A manual for teaching human rights (Amnesty International)
This manual is for teachers and educators in Africa who work with young people both in formal and non-formal education.

Other International Days