YOUTH QUESTIONS PRINCE SIMELANE ON POLICE BRUTALITY

EZULWINI – Children and the youth stumbled on an opportunity to ask hard questions from the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Prince Simelane, including his views on police brutality.

This was during the commemoration of the 75th United Nation Declaration of Human Rights that was held at SibaneSami Hotel in Ezulwini.
During the commemoration, the youth and children who are part of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) youth Board, made presentations on issues inhibiting them from enjoying their rights to the fullest.

The first issue that was raised was access to education and the outdated curriculum in schools. This topic was addressed by Inaki Shongwe, from St Michael’s High School. Shongwe said there was a need for the curriculum to be revised, since children were taught an outdated syllabus that wasn’t aligned with the current times.

Highlighted

She highlighted that there were talks that the country was looking at agriculture as being the sector that was meant to improve the economy. The learner stated that it was surprising that the agriculture that was taught in schools was not aligned with the market demands and climate. As the leaner was presenting, all eyes were on the Minister of Education and Training, Owen Nxumalo, who was present. Therafter two speakers, Bayabonga Masuku and Ziyanda Msibi, gave Prince Simelane and all the other stakeholders, who included UN Resident Coordinator George Wachira and other UN agencies, first-hand impression of freedom of expression.

Msibi, from Endzingeni High School, was the first to come hard on the minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. Msibi was presenting on sexual violation as another stumbling block between children and access to human rights. She mentioned that some believed that sexual violation meant rape, yet it was more than that. Msibi said it was not only girls who were sexually violated, but boys as well. Dlamini said it was a challenge for the boy child to report such violations.

“I want to ask from Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Babe Prince Simelane what his ministry is doing to ensure a conducive environment for the boy child to report abuse?” she asked. As everyone was still trying to digest where the 16-year-old got the confidence to directly ask the minister, Masuku, a first-year student at the University of Eswatini, highlighted a number of issues that led children, more especially orphans, to commit crime. He highlighted that socio-economic issues had led some children, more especially those from child-headed households, to resort to crime in order to get food and provide for their needs. Masuku also decried how law enforcers ill-treated suspects.

Suspects

“It is not a secret that children became suspects in crimes that are committed around communities. It is paining to see how children who are suspected to be in conflict with the law are treated by law enforcers. Children are beaten during interrogation and even when they are taken for questioning, they are beaten in front of people by police,” he said.

Masuku said the way law enforcers dealt with children who were suspected to be in conflict with the law, looked as if the notion of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ did not apply when it came to children who were suspects. The young person said they noted that the same treatment that was given to children and the youth was not given to people of influence who were suspected to be in conflict with the law. “It is at whose expense that we are assaulted by police? If we are all equal before the eyes of the law, why are the high and mighty not beaten when they are investigated by police?” Masuku asked.

The young person further revealed that children also committed crimes in order to protect their right to education. Masuku said due to the challenges faced by young people when it came to accessing education, some deliberately committed crimes to be admitted to Vulamasango School, which was meant for juveniles. The Minister of Education and Training, Nxumalo, stated that every child should have access to education and that was one of the basic rights of young people.

Programmes

To ensure that education aligned with the times, the minister said the ministry had programmes in place to consult with stakeholders to revise the curriculum. Meanwhile, the minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs said as a commitment to ensure the enjoyment of human rights for emaSwati, including the rights of children, the country had domesticated the UDHR by adopting the Constitution, enacting laws and putting in place some institutions that would ensure the respect of the rights of the people in the country.

“These institutions include the Commission on Human Rights and Public Administration and Integrity, the Law Reform Unit; the National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow-up and the Legal Aid,” he said. He acknowledged the partnership between the commission, the Ministry of Education, the UN and other stakeholders, in commemorating the existence of the UDHR.

Coming to the presentations that were made by the children, he said; “These presentations are eye-opening and insightful and as duty bearers, there are lessons learnt from the children and issues which we may need to engage on and find a way to address, so as to end the violations of the rights of children. Children are the future, therefore, if we want to have a bright future as a country, we need to invest in our children, by enacting laws and strengthening institutions that promote and protect human rights.”

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