Assahafa.com
The 1st African Forum of the Children’s Parliament is a platform to make the voice of the continent’s children heard, promote their rights and discuss the challenges they face, stressed African child parliamentarians on Saturday in Rabat.
In statements to the press on the sidelines of the Forum’s official closing ceremony, chaired over by HRH Princess Lalla Meryem, President of the National Observatory for the Rights of the Child (ONDE), these children highlighted the importance of this Forum, organized by the Observatory under the High Patronage of HM King Mohammed VI and the effective presidency of Her Royal Highness.
They furthermore wished to express their deep thanks and profound gratitude to HRH Princess Lalla Meryem for the constant efforts that Her Royal Highness continues to deploy in support of children’s issues, in accordance with the far-sighted Vision of His Majesty the King.
The child parliamentarians also welcomed the opportunity that was given to them to express their expectations and debate the current challenges of the continent’s children, highlighting the relevance of the themes addressed during the workshops organized on this occasion.
In this context, the child parliamentarian representing the Marrakech-Safi region, Marwa Kadouri, stated that participation in the Forum offers the opportunity to discuss issues relating to childhood in African countries in order to formulate recommendations and propose solutions to the problems facing the African child.
For her part, Togue Yallah Anita, President of the Children’s Parliament of Chad, stressed that the first African Forum of the Children’s Parliament constitutes an important initiative that allows the voice of African children to be heard, an essential step to give them the place they deserve in the decisions that concern them.
Yallah Anita stated that she learned, during the exchanges, of many relevant proposals to improve the situation of children, noting that listening to young people is essential, as “they represent the future of Africa.”
For her part, the child parliamentarian representing the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, Abir Bouktaya, indicated that the holding of this Forum is the fruit of the efforts and actions carried out by ONDE as well as exchanges of experience with African countries to improve the situation of the child.
She also noted that among the main recommendations emerging from the “combating child labour” workshop is the strengthening of awareness-raising on the importance of children’s schooling and on the role of the child in the development process.
Douae El Faghrawi, child parliamentarian from the Guelmim-Oued Noun region, said she was proud to participate in this Forum, which offered an opportunity for children to express their opinions and debate various issues related to childhood, such as child marriage and homeless children, in order to propose concrete solutions.
Fatouma Ahmed Hassan, child parliamentarian from Djibouti, expressed her great honour in taking part in the African Forum of the Children’s Parliament, expressing her deep gratitude to HRH Princess Lalla Meryem for the organization of this large-scale event.
She also emphasized the relevance of the recommendations formulated during the Forum’s workshops, which focused in particular on ways to improve the living conditions of African children.
This Forum reflects “unity is strength,” and makes it possible to strengthen the capacities of each of the represented countries and to nurture the hope of a better future, she said.
Source: map
