On 2 August 2023, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, hosted a child-led conference on children’s mental health in Schools in Africa, on its Hatfield Campus. The conference was attended by children nationals from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
The conference was inspired by the concerning increase in diagnosed mental disorders among children across various institutions in the Africa. In South Africa, for example, current estimates reveal that around 13% of children aged 10-19 and a staggering 40% of children aged 10-14 in are affected, with anxiety and depression being the most prevalent disorders. Suicide, tragically, remains a significant concern among children, making it the fourth leading cause of death among 15 to 19-year-olds globally. These alarming figures are a cause for great concern and emphasis the urgent need for critical conversations that address children's mental health.
To this end, the conference prioritised the well-being of children and place them at the centre of the conversation and solutions by providing a platform for children's participation, experience sharing and expert opinion. The conference opened with a welcome remark from Mr. Llyod Kuveya, Assistant Director, at the Centre for Human Rights, followed by a keynote address by Professor Nontembeko Bila from the Department of Social Work & Criminology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pretoria.
Designed to address different aspects of children's mental health, a diverse group of children participated in a panel and shared their experiences, enabling a deeper understanding of the challenges they face concerning mental health. This was reinforced by contributions from experts from South Africa and Kenya on topics including neurodevelopmental learning disorders, focusing on the career transition of learners with neurodevelopmental learning disorder, stages of development, the impact of the environment when dealing with children’s mental health and intersectionality between children’s mental health and substance abuse. Lastly, teachers from South African High Schools had a panel discussion on strategies adopted by schools in dealing with children’s mental health. The event ended, with the plan and intention to host a follow up event and activity
We express our gratitude to all the participants and expert speakers (Dr Khosi Mabaso - Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Johannesburg, Ms Susan Maua - Public Education and Advocacy at National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Kenya [NACADA] and Ms Nomathemba Mngqibisa – Educational Therapist)
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