The ministries of education, agriculture and that of gender and family promotion have been tasked to table before members of parliament the strategies they have in place to tackle issues if child rights abuse. This was resolved during a plenary hearing held on Wednesday February 9, following a report on children’s rights that was presented by the Parliamentary Committee of Unity, Human Rights and Fight against Genocide. The report was scrutinized based on the basic rights of children like rights to good health, education, family, protection from abuse, equality, identity and freedom to play. According to the committee chairperson, MP Veneranda Nyirahirwa, the assessment made by the committee discovered several issues that hinder children rights. “For instance in the sector of education, there is a high dropout rate in both primary and secondary schools and low enrolment of students in secondary schools which is an issue for their right to education” she said. The report further highlighted that between 2019 and 2020 the number of children who died before they reached one year had not dropped unlike the previous years where there was a significant downward trend. The legislators also unearthed problems of physical abuse that harm the health of the children. The report indicated that between 2017 and 2020, food prices of commodities like soya, maize, milk, and eggs rose which is one of the reasons for stunting the growth of children. “Due to these issues, the committee decided inquire the three ministries in charge so they can explain the solutions they are providing to these problems,” Nyirahirwa added. The Ministry of Education will present to the parliament the strategies in place to curb school dropout, lack of enough play time for children in schools. The Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion will explain the strategies in place to curb the problem of stunting that is still existing, and challenges in ECDs, and the lack of follow-up on children of five and above who still get stunted. The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resource, will explain the policies in place to help local farmers to produce more crops for their families, and the policies around teaching citizens proper ways of growing nutritious foods, as a way of making sure children have proper meals. The ministries should appear before the legislators in less than six months.
