Kiambu drafts policy to protect children's rights

Kiambu county is drafting a child protection policy.

Kiambu  coordinator for children’s services Rose Barine said the county department of education, the Judiciary and technical working groups are on the ground to come up with the policy.

“We have a roadmap on child protection policy and I am requesting all partners to give us support to have a policy for Kiambu county,” Barine said at a Kiambu hotel on Friday.

The county department of education said that the policy will streamline response to cases of child abuse, defilement and FGM.

They also want to ensure members of the community take a more active role in rescuing survivors and reporting to authorities for action.

Barine said that issues of drugs and pregnancies have been a challenge facing schoolchildren.

“Many things are ailing our society like drug abuse, pregnancies, it takes two people to have a pregnancy and we are going to take care of each other, the girl should take care of the boys and vice versa,” Barine said.

“You were elected because of your effort. Children are bright but every right comes with a responsibility. I want to see results by your becoming good children and pushing the children's rights,” Barine said.

The children's assembly was established in 2011 where children elect their peers aged 16 and below to represent them at the national level and to communicate the government policies and development plans to the children in the village and get feedback through the devolved structures.

Those elected include the governor, deputy governor, speaker, deputy speaker, sergeant at arms and deputy sergeant at arms, clerk, deputy clerk and organising secretary. They will hold office for a minimum of two years, which has two terms.

Children participants drawn from the c2 subcounties held an election and learned about children's assembly standing orders, how they can pass government policies for children at the grassroots and how to communicate their agenda to the government over their agendas.

The elected children leaders vowed to create awareness for children who are suffering or not attending school.

Barine said that the assembly members have the right to tell their teachers of a child who is not going to school or a child being neglected.