NGO’s Ask Minister To Pass Children’s Bill

Organizations that are promoting child rights in the country have asked the Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare to pass a bill on national children’s commission.

The bill is meant to establish an institution that will prioritize lives of children in the country.

Speaking at a dinner in Lilongwe representatives of UNICEF, Malawi Human Rights Commission and NGO Coalition on child rights said it is good to find a better way of reaching Malawian children.

Chairperson of coalition of child rights organizations Desmond Mhango said “the commission will help to acquire more resources for the provision of better services to children.”

In her response, Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare Cecilia Chazama said the bill is a copy and paste of agendas of other ministries.

Chazama said “there is a lot of duplication in the mandates of the commission which is worrisome for budget allocation on things that already exist in the ministry.”

In his remarks, chairperson of social and community affairs in parliament Richard Kamwendo Banda said the bill will go through amendments before presenting it in parliament on Thursday.