Zimbabwe: The right to play and the fight against violence
Children especially suffer from the economic and social crisis in Zimbabwe. Many experience violence and abuse in everyday life. The “Community Arts project” (CAP) funded by Hommes promotes peaceful conflict solutions and strengthens child protection.
In the beginning it was simply a play: a small project group in Harare, the capital Zimbabwes, offered young people a stage to draw attention to the life situation of children. Today, ten years later, 30 children's clubs have developed from it that are committed to enforcing children's rights in Zimbabwe.
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Children play their future
The development of the project is an answer to the precarious situation in the country: economic and political long -term crises such as corruption, extremely high unemployment and recurring droughts have tightened poverty in the country. Many children have to stop school and instead contribute to their livelihood of their families. In addition, the knowledge and funds for effective politics to protect children are often missing in the authorities. The defects in the persecution of the sexual abuse of girls are particularly serious. In addition, places and squares are missing in many quarters of the city where children can play safely.
This is where the project comes in by offering the girls and young leisure activities in a safe environment. They can playfully live out their creativity there and learn to solve disputes peacefully. The children perform their own plays, sing songs or tell stories about children's rights. They often address the problem of violence.
And often the pieces act on how the children imagine their future. The highlight of the year is the annual theater festival, in which schools from the city also take part and bring their ideas on the subject of children's rights to the stage. The best play is awarded.
Children do lobbying
In order to make children's rights known in the country, the children's clubs use social media and put their plays on the Internet as short films. The children's clubs now reach more than 10,000 girls and boys. A great success, because the activities have created a dense network with other organizations and government agencies. At regular
meetings with representatives of municipal authorities, the girls and boys bring suggestions with which the protection of children in the district can be improved.
Awareness among the population and the authorities on the problem of violence has grown noticeably: abuse cases are more often indicated by the police, the authorities react faster to violations of the law. In the meantime, some schools in the city have taken over the CAP project model “Safe Rooms for Children”. Thanks to the “Community Arts project”, young people finally got a voice to strengthen the rights of children in Zimbabwe
