Save the Children Zambia carried out the Young Voices Survey in 2019 and concluded it in 2020. The Survey was hindered by the outbreak of COVID-19, which limited activities such as focus group discussions. The survey was carried out in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which states that children are entitled to express their views on all matters that affect them. Save the Children Zambia believes every child has a future.

The Young Voices survey was conducted primarily to establish the level of children’s awareness about their rights and understanding what critical issues they face in terms of their rights. To achieve this, children were selected for interviews to facilitate data collection.

The target age group were school-going pupils aged 10 to 16 years. One thousand two hundred children participated in the survey, of whom 50 per cent were girls and 50 per cent were boys. About 62 per cent of pupils came from secondary while 38 per cent came from primary school level. In terms of age distribution, 34 per cent were aged 10-12 years and 66% were aged 13-16 years.

There is evidence that the majority of children in Zambia are not aware of the Convention on the Rights of the Child although awareness levels about the rights of children, as a concept is almost universal among children. It is clear that children continue to face legitimate concerns. Therefore, there should be more effort by government and communities to help achieve the aspirations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to ensure the views of children, especially girls, within the family and the community at large are respected.

Make sure to have a look at the added questions on climate to the national survey, since young are leading the change here and their needs and recommendations on the environment are vital.

To read all of the Young Voices reports and supplementary materials, please visit this page.