International Day of the African Child (16/06)

Every year on June 16, at the initiative of the Organization of African Unity, the world celebrates International Day of the African Child, also known as Day of the African Child.

The holiday was first celebrated in 1991, and since then the main theme of the Day's events around the world has been to attract the attention of the world community, children's and medical organizations, as well as politicians around the world to the problems of African children and to the conditions of their daily lives.

The date of the International Day of the African Child was chosen in connection with the tragic events that occurred on June 16, 1976 in South Africa. That day, thousands of black schoolchildren took to the streets of a settlement on the southwestern outskirts of Johannesburg — Soweto — South Western Townships — demanding improved quality of school education and defending the right to learn in their native language.

Hundreds of young Africans were shot by government security forces. Over the next two weeks, more than a hundred people were killed and more than a thousand were injured. Official data report that from June 16, 1976 to February 28, 1977, during the uprising, police executions killed 575 people and arrested about 6 thousand people.

Since 2011, the Day's events have decided to pay special attention to the plight of street children, whose number on the continent is estimated to be 30 million. The term «street children» is often criticized, but UNICEF (UNICEF — United Nations Children's Fund) characterizes such children as follows: «they live in an urban (urban) environment; have parents or other relatives with whom there is little or no connection; forced to survive, looking for various ways to do this; see life on the street as the only possible way to exist, the street for them replaces their family and becomes a place of social activity; they live at risk to life and are exposed to many dangers».

As is known, street children are the most vulnerable children in the world; they are repeatedly subjected to violence, exploitation, physical and moral humiliation.

Tuition — is another big problem for many African children. Despite the efforts and help of charitable organizations, today there is an insurmountable barrier between law and reality.

That is why international organizations, starting with the African Union and UNICEF, annually put forward initiatives and organize discussions with the goal of bringing the lives of millions of African children closer to human life.

Also on this day, charitable and public organizations and foundations operating in African countries hold all kinds of events for African children — training seminars and film screenings, concerts and performances, give out free gifts and simply organize a holiday for children so that they do not feel forgotten and unnecessary.



Infographics – poster «June 16 – International Day of the African Child»

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