Novitiate of Matola
From the 3rd to the 6th of August Brother Fortune Chakasara, a FMSI link from Zimbabwe, delivered a workshop on child rights in Novitiate of Matola, Mozambique.
During the sessions, Brother Fortune insisted that we novices should have a good understanding and application of rights of children to avoid the mistakes of the recent history in the Church.
He stressed much throughout the workshop that, Children's Rights are the Human Rights of children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to minors, including their right to association with both parents, human identity as well as the basic needs for food, universal state-paid education, health care and criminal laws appropriate for the age and development of the child, equal protection of the child's civil rights, and freedom from discrimination on the basis of the child's race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability, colour, ethnicity, or other characteristics. Interpretations of children's rights range from allowing children the capacity for autonomous action to the enforcement of children being physically, mentally and emotionally free from abuse, though what constitutes "abuse" is a matter of debate.
We feel very privileged to have Brother Fortune come down here to broaden our knowledge in this area since our charism demands of us to be in constant contact with the young people.
We thank you brother! Tatenda! Siyabonga!
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Novices of Matola Novitiate