Children: What about Us?

By Qurratul-Ain-Tahmina

There was solidarity. There was strength. There was hope. But overshadowing everything else, there was a note of urgent pleading in the young voices. They pleaded with the world leaders that they work together with them towards creating a safe, peaceful, harmonious and just world, a world that will nurture and be nurtured by generations to come.

Yesterday afternoon in Sandton City, a group of children, representing hundreds of thousands from all over the globe, announced their proposal to the decision-makers. But before that, a group of young people from squatter camps in Diepsloot, Johannesburg told their own stories, stories that unfortunately an overwhelming number of children in today’s world share.

Salaminah Mahlangu is 21 years old now. “I was raped in 1996 when I was 14 years old. The police later lost all the papers of the case. The man who did it was threatening me and is still out there. In my community lots of case documents with the police go missing. The police sell the cases to the criminals.” Mahlangu wants justice and wants the police to be accountable.

Lucky Moyo is from a squatter camp. “The environment in my community is awful. The municipality should take care of our environment because it is so dirty. Rubbish is always present all over the street, not just round the corners. Children play in it and get diseases.”

Children who live in better conditions had their concerns too. “Today I saw a fish floating dead in the river,” said one little girl. “And I cried. I was hot and there was no shade, no tree.”