Rwandan children have asked authorities to consider setting up a special chamber in courts to try cases of child abuse. The children also want more help for vulnerable children.

They were speaking at the 10th annual national children summit in Kigali, where 507 children drawn from across the country convened to discuss child rights and protection.

Access to education, health care, and protection against violence are some of the things the children said they were thankful for.

The gathering at Parliament Buildings yesterday also attracted 17 children from the other four East African Community partner states, top government officials, and mayors from the country’s 30 districts.

Twenty years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda has successfully built a legal and policy framework that enables the advancement of child rights.

Advancements in healthcare, education, and social protection are also some of the factors that have transformed children’s lives.

Rwanda has one of the highest primary school enrolment rates in Africa– at 97 per cent. Progress in the healthcare sector has also helped reduce infant mortality.

For the UN resident coordinator Lamin Manneh, who attended the summit, the country and its leaders should be proud of what they have achieved for Rwandan children.

"We have all reasons to celebrate. Indeed, there have been several achievements over the past two decades,” he said.

Children at the summit took turns to thank the government for promoting their rights, with many of them citing access to education and healthcare as some of the services they cherish.

"Our rights are being respected because we are in school, have freedom of speech and get access to healthcare,” said 15-year-old Leoncia Urayeneza, from Gatsibo District, Eastern Province.

Prime Minister Anastase Murekezi asked parents to ensure proper upbringing of their children.

"Parents should strive to always meet their responsibilities,” he said.

Murekezi urged children to always uphold the truth, unity, and integrity as they grow up in order to become responsible citizens.

Children’s wishes

Children appealed to authorities for a faster way of documenting identity at birth, more advocacy for vulnerable children in villages, and a special chamber in courts to prosecute crimes against children.

The children also requested that follow-up be done to ensure that children who were taken out of orphanages lead a decent life in their foster families.

Other issues include efforts to end child labour and helping children in refugee camps to study up to S6.

A child from Kigeme refugee camp in Southern Province’s Nyamagabe District told participants at the forum that some children in the camp turn to drugs after completing S3 because they don’t have schools where they can farther their education.

The Minister for Gender and Family Promotion, Oda Gasinzigwa, told the children that different officials in districts and the central government will work hard to find solutions to the issues raised at the summit.

The annual children’s summit was first organised in 2004 with the aim of creating rights awareness among children and educating them on their obligations.

This year’s forum coincided with celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.