A ceremony has been held in Zimbabwe to commemorate the Day of the African Child, which calls for the improvement of the education provided to African children, Press TV reports.
The theme for this year's event is "The Rights of Children with Disabilities: The Duty to Protect, Respect, Promote and Fulfill."
Zimbabwe, as a signatory to the United Nations' Convention on Human Rights, is responsible to ensure that children live with dignity and are given decent life style and facilitating participation in their respective communities.
The government’s support for people living with disabilities was at its peak in the 90s but has waned due to the recent socio-economic challenges plaguing the country.
At the ceremony, hosted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), artists living with disabilities performed drama, music and dance and exhibited their drawings and paintings.
The Goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, who is also a music legend in Zimbabwe, Oliver Mutukudzi was also present at the event.
“Let’s respect our children in all forms. Our children are our future and as grown-ups let us not forget that we were once children. Today is the day that we should respect all children we have at home and outside,” Mutukudzi told Press TV.
The Zimbabwean government and UNICEF have called on the countries of the world to make greater efforts to ensure children with disabilities have access to basic social services and protection to realize their potential.