A Member of the National Assembly, Judy Hermans, visited Lavender Hill on Saturday 2 April, as part of a children’s rights programme to educate children about their rights.
Around 60 children from the age of six to 14-years-old attended the event held at the Lavender Hill Community Centre.
“This is my first time in Lavender Hill as a member of parliament, employed in the Grassy Park parliamentary constituency office. So, we wish to roll out these children awareness programmes in all our communities.
“We managed to get a partnership with the Department of Justice and because March is Human Rights month we decided to focus on children’s rights because children must be aware of what their rights are.”
She added the programme is a way to educate children as well as their parents.
“They can even educate their parents and it’s a way of raising awareness and trying to lift people out of the cycle of gangsterism and gender-based violence (GBV) that is prevalent in these communities. When you start with children, you are educating a family and, in that way, you are educating a community.
“So, I think we must have more programmes that reaches out to young children in their formative years so that they don’t perpetuate the culture of gang violence and general violence in the community.”
Adele Campbell from the Department of Justice described the event as a historical moment.
“I am honoured to be part of such an historical event in Lavender Hill. Never has an event like this happened in our area. I am a proud product of Lavender Hill, I just graduated yesterday (Friday 1 April).
“I was asked to speak about children’s rights because that is my speciality and my forte.”
She spoke to children about their rights which include the right to schooling and the right to have food to eat.
“You are much more privileged than we were. There were no rights, no constitution but only after 1994. Children you have rights, it is a right to go to school, education is important children.
“It is nice to be a child because children don’t have worries. Lavender Hill is well known for its gang violence.”
Campbell added that the rights of children include their mother going to court for child maintenance.
“If your father is not there anymore your mother can lodge a claim for child maintenance from your father.”
Dorothy Soetwater, the apostle of Hope Pentecostal Church in Lavender Hill, said it was important to have the programme so children would know their rights.
“The children here today are from the ages of six and up until 14-years-old. This programme is actually to encourage our youth, our children, to give them the right of what they can and what they can’t do.
“Today they are colouring in and they are drawing and it is to inspire our children.”
Soetwater added that gangs often use children as gunman.
“I know that these gangsters like to use our little children to shoot, so that’s why it is important for me to get our children together to give them programmes like this. So, there will be more programmes like this.”
