Kisangani, 8 October 2009 - MONUC’s Child Protection section, UNICEF and the provincial ministry for Gender the Family and Children yesterday launched to Kisangani a protection campaign for children in Oriental Province. The campaign, which will end on 20 November 20 next, aims to sensitize the public on child protection, with the support of the media, which will distribute and broadcast various messages and articles on children’s rights.
The campaign started with a two day sensitization session organized by MONUC to inform approximately 30 thirty journalists on international and national legal rights of the child.
To the opening of this session , Idrissa Ba, ad interim bureau chief of MONUC Kisangani, indicated that the attacks to the rights of the children remain a concerning reality in Oriental Province.
He said it was urgent to approach the problem in relation with the different domains of child protection so that “journalists are capable of distributing messages to the general public that encourage the development of attitudes and behaviors favorable to the respect of children’s rights, so that there is a real protective environment for children.”
Angèle Uvone, the provincial minister for Gender the Family and Children, who officially launched the campaign, described a dark picture of the situation in which thousands of children live in the province. In addition she thanked MONUC in general for its efforts to enhance protection for the Congolese child.
The campaign includes several other sensitization activities of sensitization and training workshops for different civil society actors. It will end on 20 November next- international day for children- through organized exhibitions and activities with and for children.