Zambia, 15 June 2009-(Tisunge Ana Athu Akazi Coalition TAAAC)-In Soweto, South Africa, thousands of black school children took to the streets in 1976, in a march more than half a mile long, to protest the inferior quality of their education and to demand their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young boys and girls were shot down; and in the two weeks of protest that followed, more than a hundred people were killed and more than a thousand were injured.

To honour the memory of those killed and the courage of all those who marched, the Day of the African Child has been celebrated on 16 June every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organization of African Unity. The Day also draws attention to the lives of African children today. (http://www.hrea.org/feature-events/african-child-day.php)

In commemorating this year’s International Day of the African Child, the Tisunge Ana Athu Akazi Coalition (TAAAC) would like to urge all well meaning Zambians to protect our girl children from all forms of sexual abuse and harassment.

Tisunge Ana Athu Akazi Coalition (TAAAC) is a Nyanja phrase that means ‘Let’s protect our girl children’. The Coalition was formed when over a dozen Zambian organisations came together in June 2008. It strives to provide the much needed multi-faceted approach that will effectively tackle violence against girls.

Quite particularly the coalition sought to consolidate the positive gains presented by a landmark judgment delivered by the High Court of Zambia on the 30th of June in 2008. In that case a 13 year-old girl, R.M was defiled by her teacher. From R.M’s case it became clear that addressing the abuse of girls in schools required a coordinated multi-sectoral approach that was focused on prevention of such violence by enabling girls to exercise their rights through:

• empowerment of girls,

• development of school guidelines,

• awareness raising and advocacy

• provision of services (including information and reporting services, as well as legal, medical and counselling services).

TAAAC honours the memory of those children killed in Soweto in 1976 and their unequivocal contribution to the political liberation of South Africa from racial apartheid!

Released by the Media and Advocacy Coalition of TAAAC.