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He said it is disheartening that so far, there are children who are taught under trees due to shortage of facilities. "Even the quality of food worries me. Children are fed soft porridge. Sometimes when you make inquiries, you are tossed from one ministry to another," he said. He suggested that primary education be wholly under the Ministry of Education. On Wednesday, BTU president, Japhta Radibe slammed the government for depriving children quality education in public schools. Speaking at a panel discussion hosted in commemoration of the Child Labour Day, Radibe said the government has resorted to commercialising education. This means that only children who go to private schools get quality education. "At a private school, a teacher is given a small number of students and it makes it easier for them to execute their duty," he said. He indicated that in public schools, teachers are given a large number of students. He indicated that the UN Charter has spelled out that education, health and water should be subsidised. He called on the government not to abdicate the responsibility to private schools. Radibe said contradiction between customary and common law makes it difficult to protect children. "In our culture, one can be married and remain a child," he said. He stated that limiting defilement to those under-16 and below makes it difficult to monitor those who are 17 and above. "If somebody has sex with a student who is 17 or 18, it becomes difficult to bring that person before the law." He called on the media to report cases of high-ranking officials who have sexual relationships with students. Radibe said parental support especially in the urban areas is non-existent. He said parents come home late after drinking sprees while some do not come home completely. "Parents no longer help children with their homework." Radibe called for the protection of the girl child who is vulnerable to many threats. He argued that love proposals and the workload mounted on the girl child deprive her of education opportunities. In this era of HIV/AIDS, it is the girl child who is often expected to care for sick parents. Despite the awareness raised by various stakeholders, only a few cases of child abu-se are reported. Ben Semommung of the Child Protection Unit in the Ministry of Local Government said that though some people understand issues of abuse, they choose to turn a blind eye. He said they have received 42 cases of physical abuse, 39 of sexual abuse and two of forced labour. He said most of the cases are reported in urban centres. He emphasised the importance of giving children a voice. "Children should not only be seen but heard as well. Opinion of children is vital," he said. He indicated that they now stress that every right should be accompanied by responsibility. He asserted that for along time, children's rights have been preached without emphasising their responsibilities. He said that human rights begin with children's rights.
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