Children urged to stand up for their rights

Children have been called upon to know and fight for their rights without letting others violate or abuse them. The call was made during celebrations of the United Nations Declarations of Human Rights (UNDHR) Day at Les Enfants de Dieu Rehabilitation Centre in Ndera. The Project Manager of the centre, Rafiki Callixte, advised children not to be ignorant of their rights and to always speak out whenever their rights are abused. He added that this year’s celebrations were focusing on children, which shows that Rwanda recognizes that children also have rights that need to be respected. “The focus on children’s rights this time round is a sign that they are loved, cared for and appreciated. This will boost their self-esteem and restore their pride as children,”Rafiki said. He also urged parents and guardians to respect children’s rights and have integrity so as to be good examples to children. The UN representative, who attended the celebration, Chris Mburu, said that it was an important milestone for Rwanda to choose to honour children for the 63rd UNDHR anniversary. He stated that the government had showed a lot of commitment in the human rights promotion process. Mburu promised that the UN was also going to support the country in its promotion of human rights since Rwanda also successfully took part in the Universal Periodic Review of people’s rights. The Universal Periodic Review is a process of the Human Rights Council which seeks to evaluate and access the track record of countries in regards to human rights. maria.kaitesi@newtimes.co.rw