Children are perhaps the most objective observers of the world around them. They understand the threats to their safety. They see their governments and adults as failing in their responsibility to protect them. They recognize that forced labor and forced marriage deny them the chance for a better life.
When violence among adults causes the death of children, when millions of children are dying from causes we can prevent, and when children are being subjected to untold forms of abuse, we must examine our priorities and recommit ourselves to ensuring that the most vulnerable among us are also the most protected.
When breastfeeding is in decline and before a resurgence it sends a message at odds with what new mothers within the developing world should be hearing, and that is this: beyond any other preventive measures, breastfeeding infants under 2-years-old has the greatest impact on a child's health and survival.
There are other challenges that the Day of the African Child brings to mind, and they are perhaps even more complex and nuanced than the larger, overarching ones. I'm referring to the array of harmful social and cultural practices that countless African children, especially young girls, must endure.