NAIROBI, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Children living in refugee camps located in northern parts of Kenya have borne the brunt of physical and emotional abuse despite concerted efforts by governments and other non-state actors to address their plight, a global charity said on Monday.
Wang Le, Save the Children Country Director for Kenya and Madagascar, said that the concerns of refugee children need to be highlighted and addressed in order to guarantee them a better future.
"Pockets of children around the country have their rights violated, but children of refugees are the most affected," Wang remarked during the occasion to mark the Universal Children's Day in Nairobi.
The day was established in 1954 to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide and is coordinated by the United Nations Children's Fund which promotes and coordinates the day.
Refugee children often face intimidation, sexual assault, violence and other inhuman and degrading treatment that generally go unreported.
Under the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child, which Kenya is a signatory to, States have an obligation to uphold the rights of refugee children.
Wang said children's rights are diverse and need to be addressed at the policy and school levels and their concerns known, adding that the way forward is to listen to their voices.
She said that other vulnerable groups of children are children in arid and semi-arid areas and urban children living in slums.
The occasion, which was also attended by select groups of children from a number of counties within the country, was also used to launch the Kenya Children's Charter to prevent cruelty to and protection of children from abuse.
