Zambian government has taken up a number of steps to respond to the growing problem of child abuse and other sufferings endured by the children in the country, a youth official said in Lusaka Saturday.

"Government has been working on the review of the national child policy so that it can take on board new and emerging issues such as HIV/AIDS, poverty, child abuse, etc," said Emmanuel Ng'uni,an officer from Ministry of Youth and Child Development, while addressing the annual general meeting of Child Care and Adoption Society of Zambia (CCASZ) Lusaka branch.

Ng'uni said the government has been working to review legislations pertaining to children so that they can offer maximum protection to children.

He said Zambia was currently facing the severe situation in which an increased number of children were joining the category of orphans and vulnerable children.

According to Ng'uni, there are an estimated 1.2 million orphans and vulnerable children in the country, out of whom 75,000 are on the streets while close to 600,000 are engaged as child laborers.

Child problem is drawing more and more attention from the government as well as various civil societies, of which CCASZ is one with a long history.

Founded as early as in 1956, CCASZ is one of the oldest non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Zambia with an aim to protect the interests and promote the welfare of the country's children.

The society's branch in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, is running a children welfare home which receives dumped, orphaned, abused and abandoned babies and children.

An average of about 50 to 60 children pass through the home perannum with more than 70 percent of these children being re-united into a family set-up, said Helen Banda, vice chairperson of CCASZ.

Source: Xinhua