The nexus between child protection and SDG 5

By Paula Mutheu

Child protection means protecting children from any harm or danger. The goal of child protection is to promote, protect and fulfil children’s rights to protection through the implementation of initiatives that bring to an end the abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence affecting the children.

The Constitution of Kenya, 2010 Article 53 of the Constitution of Kenya details the rights of a child which include the right to be protected from abuse, neglect, harmful cultural practices, all forms of violence, inhuman treatment and punishment, and hazardous or exploitative behaviour.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a guideline towards achieving a better and more sustainable future for everyone. The SDGs were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

Social problems are issues within society that make it difficult for people to achieve their full potential affecting them either directly or indirectly, and they are a result of failure to pay attention to the serious issues that are developing. Some of these social problems include; poverty, violence and child abuse, crime, gender inequality, unemployment, harmful cultural practices, sexual exploitation, malnutrition, political corruption, economic injustices, illiteracy due to lack of education, drug abuse, teenage pregnancies, and female genital mutilation among others

In my discussion, I will focus on gender inequality. Sustainable Development Goal #5 is to promote gender equality by 2030. It aims at ending discrimination against women and girls. Due to gender inequality girls face challenges such as;

1. Sexual violence and exploitation. At least 30% of girls experience physical and sexual violence by being assaulted by their elders or coerced to take part in sexual activities against them and they are also subjected to watching pornographic films.
2. They are subjected to early marriages. In some parts of the African continent, girls do not get the privileged treatment to pursue education but are rather held into domestic duties to prepare them for early marriages.
3. Harmful cultural practices on girls. At least 200 million girls and women today have been subjected to female genital mutilation in over 30 countries which puts the health of the girls at risk.

The solution to ending gender inequality include

• The use of technology to provide information to young girls and empower them through creating awareness among them on the various protection rights.
• Analysis of the barriers towards achieving gender equality and implementation of policies through commitment and taking bold actions in order to accelerate the goal achievement progress.
• Eliminate violence against girls. This can be achieved through enforcement of the law on the offenders who commit sexual crimes.
• Eliminate all harmful cultural practices, such as child-early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

In conclusion, ending all discrimination against women and girls is not only a basic human right, but it’s also crucial for a sustainable future. It is proven that empowering women and girls helps economic growth and development.