GANG Girls can support girls

‘‘I am a Child Rights Ambassador and I have the responsibility to use my voice to tell my friends what they can do if an adult hurts them in any way. We are ten girls at our school who are ambassadors. We call ourselves the GANG, meaning the ‘Girls of an Active New Generation’.

“Girls can report to us if they think their rights have been violated and we will act by going with them to the Human Rights Commission in our area. Sometimes it does not help to tell the police, even though the law says they must investigate any case of child abuse that is reported to them. If they do not want to do this, they are breaking the law. We are lucky to have a principal who is kind to us and encourages our work as ambassadors in our school.”

Support people in trouble

“In Bonteheuwel, we have a lot of unemployed people who resort to drugs and alcohol to ease their pain. That is why we have so many violent gangs. I can relate to this because I grew up with my older sister who took to alcohol since she was in high school and I was a little girl. We live with my mother and things are often very hard, with not enough to eat or to buy medicine.

“But I am my sister’s keeper. We have shared a room for as long as I can remember, and I love her. I don’t want to lose her. We talk about her problems and then she promises to stop. She tries and tries, but she can’t.

“I love my sister for who she is, despite the bad things other people say about her. I think it is because of my sister that I see it as my duty to support people who are in trouble.”

I support girls

“I believe that Girls can support Girls. As a WCP Child Rights Ambassador, I want to be there for those girls who have no one to talk to about how their rights are abused here in Bonteheuwel.”

Zoe, 17

Corporal Punishment In The Un Convention

ARTICLE 19. You have the right to protection from all forms of violence, neglect, abuse and mistreatment. You should not be exploited by your parents or other guardians.

ARTICLE 28. You have the right to learn and develop in school, and should not be violently punished by a teacher or other adult.

ARTICLE 37. No one should punish you in a cruel and harmful way.