Crc@20: First Lady's Remarks At Uganda Launch Of Sowc Crc 20th Anniversary Edition

THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD Remarks by First Lady and Member of Parliament for Ruhama County, Hon. Janet K. Museveni, During the Launch UNICEF’s The State of the World’s Children Special Edition to Commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

20 November 2009

The Convention on the Rights of the Child 20th Anniversary The Minister of State for Children Affairs, Hon. Jessica Epel Alupo, The Honorary Junior Speaker of this Assembly, The UNICEF Representative in Uganda, Dr. Sharad Sapra, Other Development Partners here present, Members of Parliament, Religious Leaders, Representatives of the Media, Ladies, Gentlemen, and the Children of Uganda. It gives me great pleasure to join you all today as we commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. It is also an honour for me to be invited to be a part of this special Children’s Session with my fellow Members of Parliament, which is a unique opportunity for us to listen to you - the children of Uganda – to hear what you have to say about the situation in the various parts of the country where you come from, and to hear what you think can be done to solve some of the problems that you have identified both during this session, and in your memorandum. This occasion is an important reminder for all of us – whether in government, organisations, within the community, or as individuals – to treat children fairly; to ensure that they are healthy at birth and throughout their childhood; to make sure they receive an education, and that they are safe from harm wherever they may be. We have made some steps in the right direction – for instance, we have Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education, which has enabled almost all of our children to go to school in 2009 alone; we have The Children’s Act (2000) to guide the decisions we make in our various sectors to ensure that whatever is done at all levels - whether by government ministries, in different organisations, within the community, within families or as individuals – is done in the best interest of children, as emphasised in the Convention of the Rights of the Child. However, there is still room for improvement. For instance, although we have Universal Primary Education, how do we ensure that children keep in school and do not drop out until they have

The Convention on the Rights of the Child 20th Anniversary completed? How do we ensure that the education they receive is of good quality, so that they are actually learning when they are in school? We have all heard reports in the media, about unscrupulous people who go out of their way to harm children instead of protecting them – sacrificing them supposedly to get wealthy, yet we all know that wealth comes from working hard. This is unacceptable. These wicked acts should be rejected and we should all be vigilant to protect the children in Uganda from violence, abuse and neglect, wherever they may be. I applaud the organisers of this special children’s forum, those in civil society under the coordination of the Uganda Child Rights NGO Network and World Vision; UNICEF which has supported this event, the National Council for Children, the Uganda Parliamentary Forum for Children and the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development for overseeing this important event which has once again, highlighted to us the significance of letting children participate in decisions that affect them. Let us continue to encourage children to express themselves, using all the means available to them, to speak about their situation. Uganda is lucky – we have good telephone and mobile phone networks. Let the children use them to tell us how they feel, let us create helplines for them to tell us what is happening where they are - whether they are safe or not, whether they are in school or not – if we use these technologies systematically – and encourage children to use them also, I believe we shall be able to receive timely information to monitor the situation of children, wherever they may be, which will in turn inform planning to make prompt decisions in the best interest of children. However, this cannot be left to the Government alone. It is a collective responsibility for all of us, at all levels to contribute – in the various organisations we belong to, the community, and particularly the private sector. Let us all recommit ourselves to the protect the rights of all children in Uganda, helping to meet their needs, and expand their opportunities so that in the future, we know that they will be able to serve their country as healthy, happy and well-adjusted individuals.

With these remarks, may I conclude by launching UNICEF’s Special Edition of the State of the

The Convention on the Rights of the Child 20th Anniversary World’s Children, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. I thank you. ###