THE DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILDThe Day of the African Child is celebrated on June 16 in recognition of the day when, in 1976, thousands of black school children in Soweto, South Africa, took to the streets to protest against the inferior quality of their education and to claim their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young boys and girls were shot; and in the two weeks of protest that followed, more than 100 people were killed and over 1,000 were injured. This year’s theme for the celebration of the Day of the African Child is children’s right to participation: let children be heard and seen. Children’s participation is one of the fundamental principals of the Convention of the Rights of the Child and of the African Charter of the Rights and Welfare of the Child, both ratified by Côte d’Ivoire. This year’s theme gives us the occasion to reflect on the following questions:
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