AFRICA/ETHIOPIA - The "invisible" children of the continent are deprived of their rights

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

Addis Ababa (Agenzia Fides) - Half of the African children are "invisible" because they do not appear in any population register. This is what emerged in a statement released on the occasion of the XXI Meeting of the African Union (AU) which has just begun in Addis Ababa. According to UNICEF, only 44% of children under 5 years of age in Africa are registered. Without any legal identity, the young do not have any social services, education, protection against child labor, military recruitment, human trafficking and other forms of exploitation. In this context, the AU summit, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), is a great opportunity for a long-term commitment to the children of the continent.
For UNICEF, this commitment must include above all the opportunity to give each child a name and legal assistance. In Sub-Saharan Africa about one child out of 3 works, that is to say 69 million children. In total, about 158 million children between 5 and 14 years of age work in the world. The NGO of the United Nations also declares that child population of the continent before 2015 will reach 130 million. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 21/05/2013)


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