Human Rights Commission's Public Hearing for Violence Against Children

The second week of September, the Human Rights Commission in Lusaka held its inaugural Public Hearing for Violence Against Children. This public forum offered children and adults representing children a chance to voice their experiences enduring or bearing witness to human rights violations. On Wednesday, September 17th, four vulnerable children, all boys, arrived barefoot with a social worker to testify. One by one, they shared their experiences in front of the panel with the assistance of a translator. Vulnerable children in Zambia can usually speak some English, but those who have not entered school, particularly secondary school, have a difficult time communicating an entire story in English. After months, I am relatively familiar with life on the streets of Lusaka, so I had some understanding of the actions they described and recognized the names of places. Each child spoke for about twenty minutes and then answered questions from the panel. I was very impressed with their confidence and composure during the process.

The children were speaking “town Nyanja”, the most common language in Lusaka. It is an amalgam of several languages and is denoted as “town” to distinguish it from “deep Nyanja” - a slightly different dialect because it has not been cross-bred with other languages. Deep Nyanja is spoken in the Eastern province and also Malawi, and many of the kids who visit Lubuto know both town and deep Nyanja.

It surprises me how few foreigners in Zambia, aid workers or otherwise, bother to learn Zambian languages. It shocks children to hear their own language from non-Zambians, even non-Zambians who are living here for the sole purpose of helping them. I am a bit puzzled about it all, although I suppose I have a key advantage. It’s possible to learn Zambian languages only if Zambians are willing to hold your hand through the learning process. I literally have Zambians holding my hand during it! [note: I admit to knowing very little thus far.]

These are kids who would like the library. They’re kids who like to laugh. They’re kids who might happen to know my friend, John. What a coincidence! These are kids who would like the Zambian folktale from Northwestern province as much as the kids at Lubuto did when I read it to them. Maybe they’d eat nshima and beans with me at lunch. If the kids at Fountain of Hope are any indication, they would address me as “Hollywood” or “the Holly Grail”.

On the street, children form groups identified by the location around which they convene. Matthews, Abraham, and Gift are part of the City Market group a boy named Jonathan, who visits the library and returns to the street, is also from City Market. Last week, Jonathan drew me a map of the street near City Market where he begs for money during the day and asked me to visit him.

After the children were seated in the audience, I tried to maintain their level of confidence and composure and approached them.

Bwanji! Hello, how are you?

Zina langa ndine Holly. Nicokela ku America ku New York. My name is Holly. I’m from New York in America.

Cha bwino kuzibana. It’s nice to meet you.

Msebenza ku Lubuto Library ku Fountain of Hope. I work at Lubuto Library at the Fountain of Hope.

Nipuzila chi Nyanja, nikululukile. I’m learning Nyanja, sorry!

They laughed with disbelief and amusement. I read the looks on their faces as, “who is this crazy mazungu?”. [Mazungu means white person. I hear it approximately ten times a day.]


I asked them, “Hey, do you guys know Jonathan Masando from City Market?”

And they do. “John? You know John?!”

I pulled a colorful Lubuto newsletter and pamphlet from my folder. They identified the large photo of the library as Fountain of Hope. “Yes,” I agreed, “but this is the Lubuto Library inside the Fountain of Hope,” and pointed to a picture of some kids reading.

There I was, in the middle of a Human Rights Commission public hearing, making casual conversation just as I would at any social function with victims of the human rights violations that incited the hearing. It should have been a surreal moment, but it wasn’t. Perhaps it seems as if I’ve been desensitized, but that’s not the case. For me, the moment signified success.

It's not possible to help vulnerable children without becoming a part of their world. Only then is it possible to present obstacles to be overcome rather than impersonally impose solutions.

While the kids at Fountain of Hope are so fortunate to have the Lubuto library at their disposal, meeting these kids reminded me that more and more children will share the privilege as new Lubuto libraries are constructed.

Within Lusaka, there are plans for three new Lubuto libraries in Garden Compound, Kabulonga, and Lusaka West.