Message from the director

A voice crying out for help in the Concrete Jungle

e are with them at

every corner, either

in our homes,

schools, church, public transport,

shopping malls including small

shopping centres across the

country and deep in the villages.

Everywhere you turn, walk, talk

and even stroll for leisure you will

be accompanied by one, you will

find one or one will be passing by.

We have totally disregarded them

and decided that they are not our

problem, if at all we see a problem.

They do not affect us nor are they

our concern until they cross our

social, economic or domestic

boundary. We then start lamenting

on how impossible they are, their

abuse of drugs, their lack of

respect, their bad up-bringing and

that their parents are drunkards,

irresponsible and deserting.

Action for Children in the last

eleven years has observed this

situation unfold. Society has

continued to deny its role of being

the custodian of the future by

taking good care of its children.

Children are neglected and

abandoned in the most unusual of

circumstances. House helps and

teachers in schools act as

substitutions for absentee parents.

These are parents who only show

up during school open days and

give children packed lunches from

the supermarket, overlooking the

importance of a healthy diet.

And why bother them with their

children’s homework when a tutor

can do that for them? The tutor

will drill the child for another three

hours or more after a heavy eight

hours in school. Super children,

who neither get tired nor require

space to do anything else other

than what their absentee parents

prescribe. When you add the

annual ritual called a ‘birthday’ it

Accord some parents an

opportunity to extend abuse on

their children. This is through

drinking and unhealthy eating all

in the name of celebrating the

child's birthday. Do we stop and

ask ourselves, what is good for the

child or what does the child want?

In the public arena negligence by

both the national and county

governments, is evident. How does

a government allow its children to

openly intoxicate themselves?

Where did the conscious of our

leadership take a holiday to? How

long will the system continue to

slumber as the future of this

country goes to waste? What is the

net effect to the country's economy

and health system by the wastage

of children through negligence and

exposure to drugs, HIV and AIDS

as they continue to breed in the

streets openly with lack of

guidance and advice? Aren't the

adolescent mothers having

children in the streets, slums and

schools not Kenyan's enough to

benefit from the various campaigns

W

Working towards a world of equal and sustainable opportunities for every child”

C

I. Physical neglect.Where

the child’s caregiver does

not provide him/her with

basic necessities such as

adequate food, clothing,

shelter and education.

II. Emotional/psychological

neglect. This includes

actions such as extreme

spousal abuse in the

child’s presence,

withholding care and

affection, verbal assaults,

creating an environment of

fear by playing on the

child’s fears as well as

constant condemnation of

the child.

III. Medical neglect. This is

the failure to provide

appropriate health care for

the child thus placing

him/her at a risk of

becoming disabled or even

dying.

IV. Educational neglect. This

is the failure of a parent or

guardian to enrol a child in

a school or needed special

education training.

The failure to provide the child

with these basic necessities

endangers the physical,

psychological and general well-

being of the child thus affecting

his/her growth and development.

Actions to take in case of child

neglect

Anyone can report child neglect;

an affected parent, child, a

concerned neighbour, family

member or friend. Report the

matter to the children’s officer of

the respective areawho summons

the accused parent(s) to try and

reach an amicable solution keeping

in mind the best interests of the

child.

If the concerned parties fail to

agree on how the child will be

cared for, the matter may be

referred to an organisation dealing

with child rights, such as AFCIC,

for further mediation between the

concerned parties. If a solution is

still not reached, the matter is then

referred to court for determination.

The court will then be guided by

the principle that the best interests

of the child are paramount.

In accordance with Section 127 of

the Children’s Act 2001, the matter

can also be reported directly to the

nearest police station. This is

because a parent who neglects his

children commits an offense and is

liable upon conviction to a fine not

exceeding two hundred thousand

shillings or to imprisonment for a

term not exceeding five years or

both.

Case study

Samuel Mwaura*, aged 14yrs old,

lives with his parents and two

siblings in a one-roomed house in

Ruiru. He is the eldest in a family

of three and the only one enrolled

in school. His father works at a

nearby factory while his mother is

unemployed and does odd jobs.

Currently, Samuel is at home. This

is because he was sent away from

school due to a small amount he

was unable to pay towards his

tuition fee. He says that he

approached his father with a

request to pay the amount, but he

rudely dismissed him stating that

since he did not go to school, he

sees no point in educating Samuel

or his siblings.

Samuel’s father does not also

contribute towards his other needs.

Samuel states that sometimes, his

father comes home very late in the

night with no food and does not

bother to know whether they ate or

not. He cannot remember the last

time that his father bought him

clothes or shoes. Since his mother

is unemployed, she cannot

adequately provide for them.

Samuel shows off scars of beatings

that he has received occasionally

from his father without knowing

the cause. The beatings occur

when his father comes home

drunk.His mother tries to intervene

but his father overpowers

her and redirects the beatings to

her. She has on several occasions

attempted to him on the issue but

to no avail. As a result, she has

reported the matter to the

children’s office in Ruiru to find a

way that Samuel’s father can cease

neglecting and abusing his children

as well as honour his duties and

responsibilities.

Implications of Child Neglect

child has a right to

parental care which is

the right to live and be

cared for by the parents. This

means that parents should

safeguard the rights and welfare of

their children, noting that the

bestinterests of the child are

paramount in every instance. The

child is entitled to a safe childhood

and child neglect infringes upon

this right.If neglect has already

occurred, the first step should be to

ensure a safe environment for the

child then a recovery process such

as professional counselling or

other supportive interventions

should be sought.

Most of us have been raised by

both parents who are responsible

and provide for our every need.

Sleeping hungry, donning tattered

clothes or lack medical attention is

alien to most of us. It is

astonishing that a parent, who has

the ability to take care of his child,

chooses not to. A research carried

out by the Office on Child Abuse

and Neglect in America, attributed

child neglect on various factors;

such as problematic childhoods of

the parents or caregivers, poor

parenting, problem-solving skills,

developmental histories and

personality factors. This is not to

say that the presence of one of the

above factors will automatically

lead to child neglect.The way

parents were brought up can

automatically affect the upbringing

of their children. If a parent did not

have his/her needs met while

he/she was young, there is a

soaring likelihood that he will not

meet his children’s needs, leaving

them to fend for themselves at an

early age. Samuel Mwaura* a 14yr

A

ran away from home because they

feel neglected. At the centre, they

are taught their rights and what

they should expect from their

parents as part of their parental

responsibilities. They are

informedof the steps they can take

in case their parents default in their

duties.

AfCiC is continually involved in

fighting this vice of child neglect.

It is constantly involved in

education the public on this issue

with the aim of securing the best

interests of the child and curb the

issue of child neglect.

AFCIC ONE ON ONE: INTERVIEW WITH THE LEGAL OFFICER

Few people have the ability to

relentlessly volunteer for just a

cause. Denis Huthu, a lawyer, is

one of the few who do. He shares

his experience while advocating

for the rights of street and other

vulnerable children.

How long have you been working at AfCiC in your capacity as the legal officer?

I started out as a volunteer at

AFCIC. When a slot for the legal

officer opened up, I was lucky to

be considered for the position after

an interview. I have since been

with the organisation for two

years.

Why child law?

have always had a keen

interest in children matters. I

consider children to be

people with unimaginable potential

and to realize this potential; they

must be accorded the best care and

welfare possible. Working at

AFCIC, I am able to advocate for

the rights of the most vulnerable

children in the society as well as

acquire skills that I can apply to a

wide range of subjects.

How many clients do you have at any one time?

One cannot put a specific figure on

the number of clients we get.

There are days when clients stream

in throughout the whole day and

there are others when just a few

clients come. But the most

important thing is that they leave

the office satisfied with services

rendered.

What can you tell us concerning cases of child neglect in the area?

The cases of child neglect in the

area are numerous as majority of

the cases go unreported. This is

attributed to the lack of knowledge

on parental responsibilities; child

rights as well the steps to take in

case of child neglect. This has left

a lot of children suffering

needlessly with lack of adequate

food, and clothing and some not

being able to access basic

education.

I

How do you handle clients that get so emotional while addressing their problems?

I give them a few minutes to

compose themselves. Then I assess

whether they can handle the

meditation process. If they are not

in a position to continue with the

mediation, as they cannot come to

logical and sound decisions, I

arrange for a

professionalcounsellor within the

premises to talk to them.

What is your proudest moment while working for the organisation?

Every day is a proud moment at

AfCiC. I am proud whenever I go

to work as I know that I am

availing myself to the service of

others and especially to vulnerable

people who barely know about

their rights and of the solutions

available in case of potential

infringements. Anything I do to

curtail the instances of egregious

violations of children rights makes

me very proud and elated.

What do you like best about what you do?

The impact and results as a lawyer

is immediate. We are able to

resolve issues pertaining to the

welfare of children. We are also in

a position to help the rehabilitated

children talking; to them about

their rights and helping them live

better lives making sure that they

do not go back to the street. My

slight contribution towards this

young and emerging field of law

either through the implementation

of children law or through the

articles constantly written has been

a very edifying process.

What is your recommendation to the readers?

I would like to inform the people

or the society in general about the

need to report cases of child rights

violations to the various available

agencies whenever they occur.This

is because most of them go

unreported often due to the lack of

information about the various

platforms available to secure a

remedy once such omissions or

acts occur. It is the sole

responsibility of every one of us to

ensure that the rights of the

children are observed and more so,

are accorded a primary status.

ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN FOR THE MONTHS; JUNE-JULY

The Interim Care Centre hosted 31

boys who were provided with

shelter, food, clothing and medical

care. Among these children were

23 who are still under

rehabilitation. This being their

fourth month under rehabilitation,

they have been given alternating

chances to visit their family as they

get ready for exit and as a result

three of the boys have proved

responsible and ready to resume

education. Two of these boys will

be living with their extended

family members since their parents

cannot be traced. At the

beginning of the third term the

boys will be provided with school

uniform, books and admission

fees.

We also undertook a certain

number of activities, namely;

kitchen garden farming,

environment conservation and

sports.

Currently we have 18 sacks

planted with kales, spinach and

onions. We also have bananas,

pumpkins, corianders and beans.

These provide a sustainable supply

of vegetables as well as an

opportunity for the children and

their parents to learn a skill in crop

maintenance and economical

supplement of food for their

families.

SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN

The second group of children spent

their school holiday at the centre

because they face various

challenges at home such as lack of

food and negligence by their

parents. This leaves them

vulnerable to street life and hence

AfCiC offers them a safe place

over school holidays. The 7boys

are in boarding schools and soon

the school term starts they will

resume to school.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

One of the boys is in high school a

former street child came to the

centre to offer community service.

He participated in life skills

coaching, mentorship, cooking and

assisted in tutoring individual

children. This is not only a

Requirement from his school but

he also finds pleasure in doing it.

The children have also started

doing community service whereby

every Friday, they offer to clean a

local church which they attend (

The Wells Of Revival)

At St.CharlesLuanga in Kenol in a

bid to create awareness on child

rights

LEFT TO RIGHT:STAFF DEMONTRATING SACK FARMING; PARTICIPATING PARENTS & BOYS; KALES GROWN IN A SACK