Protection & Rights

According to Psalm 127:3, children are a gift from God and are created in his image (Genesis 1:26-27).  As is clear from the Old and New Testaments and Jesus’ words and actions, God loves and cares about children (Matthew 19:14).  Thus, all children, regardless of their religion, race, ethnicity or gender, have the right to be protected from abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Abuse can be committed in different ways including physical, sexual, emotional and spiritual abuse. Neglect is when caregivers fail to provide for a child’s health, education, emotional development, care, water, nutrition, shelter or encouragement. Children are also sometimes exploited, being forced to work in a way that damages their development including in hard physical work, prostitution or pornography.

ASM’s integrated approach which engages children, their parents, schools, churches, and other community leaders provides a framework for addressing child protection and rights in a comprehensive manner which is rooted in God’s plan for all human relationships.

• Authority Figures:
  At ASM, we teach, train and empower parents, teachers, religious and community leaders to ensure they have adequate knowledge regarding children’s rights as well as the skills to defend and protect the rights of children and youth.

• Children and Youth:
  We educate children and youth about their basic human rights and how these rights are protected by Rwandan law.  We empower children and youth – the subjects of abuse, neglect and exploitation – by facilitating access to the necessary means to keep those in authority accountable for their actions.