I present my respects to His Majesty, King Letsie III,

The Right Honourable, The Prime Minister, Dr Moeketsi Majoro, 

The Honourable Minister of Law and Justice, Advocate Lekhetho Rakuoane,

World Vision’s National Director, Faith and Development Lead, Project Staff,

World Vision’s Advocacy and Communications team, the Young Parliamentarians and members of the Children’s Committee,

Bo-'M'e le Bo-Ntate,

Dear all,

On behalf of Ambassador Paola Amadei, I would like to thank you for inviting the EU Delegation to the launch of the Citizen Voices Addressing Violence against Children Project (CVAVAC).

Supporting human rights, especially children's rights, and civil society, has been and will remain at the heart of the partnership between the European Union and Lesotho.

This project was selected – following a call for proposals under the Human Rights and Democracy programme – in 2021, in the midst of a global pandemic that made the situation worse for the most vulnerable, especially children.

World Vision estimates that around 10,000 girls and boys every year experience sexual abuse in Lesotho, even before the pandemic. Violence against women and children – as well as early marriage – are reported to have risen during the pandemic.

Children are likely to become more vulnerable to trafficking because of the socio-economic hardships caused by COVID-19 and the ongoing food and energy crises sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Young girls, especially orphans, are at risk of domestic servitude and sex trafficking, whilst young boys are at risk of being forced to be animal herders. 

These are just some of the risks that children in Lesotho face.

These are times when justice is needed more than ever.

Very few cases of violence against children are reported, particularly when the perpetrator is a family member. Prosecuting child protection cases is challenging in Lesotho and convictions are infrequent.

Legal processes are not always child friendly. For example, it is difficult for children to be witnesses – they can become easily intimidated and stressed by the environment of a court room, can be nervous, uncomfortable and unable to remember and recount traumatic events.

This is often interpreted negatively by judges, particularly when weighed against the testimony of an adult, whose view will typically be held in higher regard.

The project has identified the following strategic priorities to address these challenges:

• Monitoring gaps between the legal provisions regulating child protection and the reality on the ground;
• Educating children and youth about their rights and empowering them to become agents of change and accountability;
• Supporting, in a bottom-up approach, national advocacy efforts to pursue the enactment of key child-rights legislation;
• Organising specific targeted trainings for justice personnel;
• And establishing four pilot court rooms designed to provide a child-friendly environment.

Achieving tangible results in these areas, in order to bring about justice and protection for vulnerable children, will require the cooperation and joint effort of all actors involved, be it local communities, the justice sector, and indeed, the project staff.

Starting from today, you can count on the full support of the EU Delegation to Lesotho during the journey that lies ahead of us.

Kea Leboha.