Parents should be sensitised on the need to balance their families and work related responsibilities to create a better tomorrow.The Vice President of the Senate, Jean D’Arc Gakuba, made the call while presiding over the commemoration of the first International Day of the Girl Child in Kigali on Thursday.“In urban centres, parents have become too busy to help their children, while in the rural areas, uneducated parents are ignorant of the rights of the children,” she lamented.“Children are making wrong decisions because parents are either ignorant or are too busy to help. Parents need to help these children, including those in our communities,” she pleaded.She noted that children should be everyone’s concern and called on local leaders to work hand-in-hand with parents to groom better citizens. He also warned children to avoid peer pressure and seize education opportunities granted to them by their parents.Gakuba cited poverty as one of the leading causes of violation of children’s rights, especially in rural areas, decrying that girls in rural areas end up in prostitution as a result.During the event, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, Julienne Munyaneza, made a commitment to ensure that the International Day of the Girl Child is commemorated annually. “The ministry is committed to have this day celebrated each year. Next year, we will mobilise more partners to join us,” Munyaneza pledged, adding that the campaign will see other institutions join the initiative.The Country Director of Plan International, Peter Van Dommelen, revealed they had received 15,000 pledges from various institutions and individuals committed to fight against barriers impeding the rights of the girl child.“We have been mobilising the communities in all the provinces to help remove barriers that hinder the girl child enjoying their rights; rights to education and particularly the fight against gender based violence in schools,” he said.This year’s theme was ‘My Life, My Right, End Child Marriage’, to reflect on the need to put the rights of the girl child at the forefront of development.
