Luanda — The secretary of State for Family Issues and Promotion of Women, Alcina Kindanda, appealed Friday in Luanda for families to be guided by dialogue in the upbringing of children and the transmission of teachings.
The appeal was made on the sidelines of a visit to children admitted to the Neves Bendinha Specialised General Hospital, whose hands were burnt by their father in the Boa Esperança neighbourhood, in the municipality of Cacuaco, for having eaten bread without the parent's consent.
She called on families not to engage in violence against children.
She argued that, being the future of the nation, children should have their rights to education, health and protection, among others, safeguarded.
To this end, she urged the media to publicise the legal instruments that penalise acts of violence, with emphasis on Law 25/11 on Domestic Violence.
He emphasised the need for people to report any acts of violence through the SOS child line (15015), which is available free of charge.
He said that the government has a child protection network, which includes non-governmental organisations, churches, municipal administrations and individuals.
On the occasion, the director-general of the National Children's Institute (INAC), Paulo Kalesi, explained that they became aware of the situation via social media and promptly mobilised a team to the scene, with the support of the police.
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He guaranteed that INAC will continue to work with the family to find out if there are minimum conditions for protection, in order to guarantee that as soon as the children are discharged from hospital, they can be under the family's care.
For her part, the clinical director of the Neves Bendinha Specialised General Hospital, Antonieta Guilherme, said that the two children, Emiliano José and Adilson José, aged 12 and 8 respectively, were admitted to the unit on Wednesday 19th with arson burns.
"The girl has hypodermic burn B, estimated at 3% of the body surface, which affected her hands and thigh. The boy, on the other hand, has burns of the same degree, with an index of 2% of the body surface burnt, but it only affected his right hand", she clarified.
The doctor also added that situations like this are common, and in some cases children lie to protect the perpetrators.
According to physiotherapist Euridice Pinje, the boy had slight difficulty moving his fingers, so a corrective splint was fitted.
With Emiliana, the work was limited to the issue of walking, given the difficulties caused by the burns on her thighs.
