Posted by 
The Day of the African Child has been celebrated on June 16 every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). It honors those who participated in the Soweto Uprising of 1976. It also raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement of the education provided to African children.
In Soweto, South Africa, on June 16, 1976, about ten thousand black school children marched in a column more than half a mile long, protesting the poor quality of their education, rejecting what was called Bantu Education, and demanding their right to be taught in their own languages. Hundreds of young students were shot and more than a hundred people were killed in the protests of the following two weeks. More than a thousand were injured.
On June 16 every year, governments, NGOs, international organisations and other stakeholders gather to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the full realization of the rights of children in Africa.
The Day of the African Child 2020 will be commemorated on the theme: “Access to a Child-Friendly Justice Systems in Africa”
Conscious of the importance of this day, the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) through its Youth and Children’s Network Unit joins the Child Protection Alliance (CPA), Children’s Network on Transitional Justice, Children National Assembly-The Gambia, the National Youth Council and the entire African continent to help children commemorate this auspicious day. We believe that if the Never Again campaign of the TRRC must be realized, the role of children has to be considered because they are the future of every country, thus our justice systems must not ignore them.
Thank you.