‘Egypt fully committed to child rights, promoting health, education services’

Egypt’s Social Solidarity Minister Nevine el-Qabbag has reiterated Egypt’s full commitment to children’s rights, making reference in this connection to Egypt’s enactment of a law on children’s rights in 1996, its amendments in 2008, the 2014 Constitution and the launch of the National Strategy for Human Rights in September 2021.

Recalling that Egypt was among the first countries that signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and its two Optional Protocols, she stressed that the country’s political leadership has issued directives for ensuring that no child be excluded from healthcare and educational services because of poverty or disability or remote geographical location.

Minister Qabbag made the remarks yesterday while reviewing a report on the efforts caring for the Egyptian children and services offered to them, marking the World Children’s Day which falls on November 20.

According to the report, the ministry’s approach to the issue of children’s rights emanates from an integrated perspective combining health, education, cultural, economic and other rights.

This approach aims to ensure children’s development and well-being, as well as investing in them to grow as good citizens, productive for their families and participating in the development of the society and the country.

In 2018, the ministry initiated a programme to offer special care to children during their fist thousand days of life, a press release quoted the minister as saying in comments on the report.

The programme serves as a mechanism to improve nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women, and infants, in a manner that seeks to boost cognitive and physical development of children.

Until August 2022, about 88,000 children have benefited from this ‘Thousand Day Programme’.

In addition, the minister said, up to 5.6 million children have benefited from the Takaful and Karama (Solidarity and Dignity) financial transfers programme, whose total costs for children hit LE6.9 billion annually.

Moreover, up to 5.5 million people in the different education stages have been exempted from paying school fees. Donations and compensatory devices have been offered to top university students, poor ones and those with disabilities.