Over 30 per cent of human rights cases reported in 2021 were related to child rights – CHRAJ
According to CHRAJ, out of 8,412 Human Rights complaints lodged, 2, 791 of the cases, accounting for 32.2 per cent of the total were classified under Child Rights. The figure represents a 19 per cent rise in the total number of cases recorded in 2020.
The overall number of cases registered in 2021 increased by 19%. In 2020, there were 2,340 instances reported; in 2021, the number increased by 451 to 2,791.
In 2021, the Commission received 146 cases involving the right to education, 1,914 cases involving the right to maintenance (necessities of life), five cases involving the right to health, and two cases involving the right to access natural parents.
Defilement cases were 18, Child Trafficking was 15, Early and Forced Marriages made for 22, Inhuman Treatment represented 41 and 16, and 310 for Right to Name and Lawful Custody.
Mr Joseph Whittal, Commissioner of CHRAJ, said in an interview with the GNA that the growth in Child Rights cases is due to economic challenges. He attributed the spike in child neglect allegations to some parents’ financial difficulties.
Mr Whittal explained that some parents were unable to provide for their children because they had lost their jobs and hence lacked the financial means to support their family. He also ascribed the rising rate of child neglect to certain parents’ priorities, which he said were more important than their children’s welfare and future.
The Commissioner stated that while the respondents to the cases were capable members of society, they would tell you that they want their children to take care of their enterprises and that the children would not need to attend school. According to Mr Whittal, some parents believe that their children’s Junior High School education is sufficient for them to start family enterprises, and hence education is unimportant to them.
He advocated for further efforts to encourage couples to have fewer families that they can effectively care for. “We may all be rational enough to recognize that what our predecessors did is no longer possible, so let’s make a change. We’re collaborating with non-governmental organizations in that sector to address the issue of large families,” he stated.
