Family Development Initiatives

Over the next two days in Lusaka, The National Child Rights forum members, duty bearers and children have come together for a capacity-building workshop on Safeguarding and Child-Centered Social Accountability (CCSA).

This session will create a shared platform to strengthen ethical engagement, promote transparency, and ensure that children’s voices are meaningfully included in decision-making processes.

From collaborative discussions to developing practical action plans, participants will work toward a common goal: embedding safeguarding and accountability into everyday service delivery.

"Is shouting at a child the best way to teach them discipline, or are we actually damaging their future?"

This question sparked a massive debate during our recent workshop focused on creating a Safeguarding Toolkit for Child-Focused CSOs and Child-Led Initiatives.

As the National Child Rights Forum Secretariat, we sat down with all forum members to build a "Safety Promise" that actually works for our local context.

The room was split. Many felt that a "loud voice" is just part of our culture and how children learn. But as we went through the Child Safeguarding Policy, we looked at the long-term cost: constant shouting can be a form of emotional abuse that leads to low self-esteem and deep anxiety. We discussed how children raised in fear often grow up into adults who are afraid to speak up or stand up for themselves.

To help make sense of this, we used our “Safety Traffic Light" system. We learned that if an action makes a child feel worthless or withdrawn, that is a "Red Light" that needs to stop immediately. Real safeguarding isn't just about big rules; it's about creating a **"Circle of Trust"** where children feel brave enough to learn from their mistakes without being torn down.

We spent the day reviewing actual policies and real-life examples to ensure that our CSOs aren't just "safe" on paper, but are true safe havens in practice. We left the session challenged to be mentors who build children up rather than authority figures who rule through fear.
How can we balance our traditions with the need to protect a child's emotional well-being?