Violation of Children’s Right to Food “a serious challenge in Angola”: Catholic Official

Viana, 01 June, 2025 / 9:06 PM

The Vice Coordinator of the Child Pastoral Ministry in Angola’s Catholic Diocese of Viana has expressed concern about the violation of children’s right to food in the Southern African nation, describing it as a national crisis that demands urgent intervention from government and civil society.

In an interview with ACI Africa ahead of the celebration the International Children’s Day 2025 scheduled for Sunday, June 1, Isabel Cacessa lamented that despite Angola’s natural resources and wealth, thousands of children face malnutrition and are exposed to “extreme vulnerability”.

“Food shortages and increasing poverty result in many children lacking access to adequate nutrition, compromising their physical and intellectual development,” Ms. Cacessa told ACI Africa Friday, May 30.

She painted a grim picture of the situation of many children in the Southern African nation, saying, “The violation of children’s right to food continues to be a serious challenge in Angola. Despite the country’s natural wealth, countless children live in extreme vulnerability, going hungry or relying on food scavenged from garbage.”

Ms. Cacessa went on to lament, “Children who should be growing up in healthy environments are instead seen rummaging through trash looking for food, a reality that leaves us speechless.”

“Many children suffer from severe malnutrition because their families lack the basic means to provide adequate meals. This situation is a true social tragedy,” she said.

Ms. Cacessa said she finds it regrettable that the Child Pastoral Ministry does not have “enough resources to directly fight hunger and malnutrition. We depend on support from authorities and society to ensure every child’s right to food.”

Beyond hunger, the Child Pastoral Ministry official in Angola also disclosed that many children are forced to work to help their families survive, which constitutes a serious violation of their rights and exposes them to exploitation risks.

She appealed to authorities, civil society, and the international community to intensify efforts to ensure the safeguarding of children’s rights in Angola.

“There is a need to implement public policies that promote employment and invest in family agriculture, improve roads to facilitate the transport of produce, and reduce food prices, thereby increasing families’ access to food,” Ms. Cacessa told ACI Africa on May 30.

According to the Vice-Coordinator of the Child Pastoral Ministry in Viana Diocese, “It is essential to strengthen social protection systems with food support programs for vulnerable families and educational campaigns on child nutrition and maternal care.”

In the health sector, Ms. Cacessa proposed “expanding access to basic services, improving care quality, and ensuring immunization against preventable diseases, especially malaria.”

Regarding education, she suggested increasing the number of public schools, improving education quality, and monitoring private schools to ensure minimum standards are met.

Ms. Cacessa also called attention to “the urgency of combating child labour by promoting policies that protect children and support families so they don’t have to rely on child labour for survival.”

She noted that “the Child Pastoral Ministry in the Diocese of Viana remains committed to promoting life and children’s rights, working on community leadership training, prenatal care, breastfeeding promotion, and monitoring child growth.”

“Let’s pay close attention to our children, because a child who grows up loved will learn to love. Where there is no love, there is nothing,” Ms. Cacessa said, and added, “Caring for children must go beyond survival, ensuring their full development and respect for their rights.”

In violating the rights of children, she warned, “we are teaching them to violate those rights in the future. When a child feels loved, they begin to love.”

“Let’s love our children by stopping the violations of their rights, so they may grow fully and live with dignity,” Ms. Cacessa told ACI Africa on May 30.