WfC calls for indaba on street children

WfC calls for indaba on street children
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Mon 27 Dec. 2010, 04:01 CAT

EMILY Sikazwe has called for a national indaba to discuss and find a lasting solution to the problem of street children. In an interview yesterday, Sikazwe, the executive director of Women for Change (WfC), said there was currently no agreed programme to deal with the problem of street children.

Subsequently, she said, the programmes that were being implemented could not succeed to the fullest as could be seen from the number of children that were still living on the streets.

Sikazwe said there was need for a meeting that would help to find a permanent solution to the problem.

She called for the re-introduction of the Zambia National Service (ZNS) military training for school leavers to help solve some of the problems that youths currently faced.

Sikazwe said for the coming year, she expected all parties to take issues of children, especially unemployment among the youths, seriously.

She said she also expected peace and harmony and political players to focus on issues confronting the country.

“We expect people to also respect each other’s views,” said Sikazwe.

Sport, youth and child development permanent secretary Teddy Mulonga last week said the prevailing economic situation, coupled with the high incidence of HIV and AIDS were pushing the majority of young people into a state of vulnerability.

Mulonga said the problem of children and youths living on the streets did not affect the government alone but all people.

He said a workable solution should be found to address the problem.

“The problem of streetism is a time bomb, which if allowed to grow can explode and have a telling effect on the security and economy of our country,” said Mulonga.