Bridget Moya speaks to the importance of STEM in schools at a meeting in 2019.
Bridget Moya, the Director of Child Development within Zambia’s Ministry of Youth, Sports and Child Development, has become the country’s Pathfinding focal point.
“By becoming a part of the Pathfinding family and sharing knowledge and experiences, Zambia will contribute to the agenda on child protection and participation and learn from others,” said Moya. “This will have a positive impact on Zambia and provide a platform for child development and child well-being.”
Moya is a child of two police officers – and as such, from an early age, she had a passionate commitment to the community around her. At first, that passion gave way to teaching; for nearly a decade, Moya taught history and civic education at a public secondary school. For four years after that, she served as a headteacher at a boarding school.
By becoming a part of the Pathfinding family and sharing knowledge and experiences, Zambia will contribute to the agenda on child protection and participation and learn from others.
Moya’s educational experience eventually propelled her into the administration of the government, where for five years, she served as the director of the country’s Department of Open and Distance Education.
Today, Moya is the Director of Child Development at the Zambian Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development, a role she has held since June of 2020. In a country where 40 per cent of boys and 34% of girls experience physical violence before the age of 18, Moya’s role is critically important.
“When I was a teacher, I was focused more on students’ performance,” said Moya. “But now, I am focused on the social issues that might affect students’ performance – like whether or not they come from an abusive home. This shift in focus has been very sobering, and I have learned a lot.”
As the world’s 31st Pathfinding Country, Zambia has now solidified its commitment to ending violence against children in all settings. This announcement built on years of dedication to child protection in Zambia, including the creation of a national action plan to end violence against children in 2015, the publication of a Violence Against Children Survey in 2018, and much more. Still, there is a great deal of work to be done.
“Violence rates in Zambia are similar when compared with other countries, but lower when compared to those in the region,” Moya said. “However, this is not the time for celebration. When we dig deeper into the data, we see significant concerns when it comes to emotional and sexual violence against children. The rates of children who experience sexual abuse and receive services, for example, is astonishingly low.”
Among girls who experienced sexual violence before the age of 18, for example, zero per cent reported receiving support services. This number only rose to 7 per cent when compared with boys who experienced sexual violence.Part of Moya’s role as the Pathfinding Country focal point will be working across sectors to prevent and respond to sexual violence against children, along with the many other forms of violence that exist.
I am committed to ensuring Zambia rises to the challenge of child protection.
“I have come to understand the interlinked nature of child development and well-being programmes and projects; there is the survival, developmental, participatory and protection dimension to each,” Moya said. “This requires a well-rounded prevention and response structure that taps into both internal and external resources. There will be a need, therefore, to examine what is available, what needs to be sustained, and what needs to be expanded in order to ensure that Zambia provides every child, without discrimination, access to well-rounded child protection, prevention and response services.”
Zambia is the seventh African country to become a Pathfinder. Since its launch in July of 2016, End Violence has promoted the concept of Pathfinding, which aims to raise awareness, stimulate leadership commitment, galvanize action, and establish a standard of national violence prevention throughout the world.
End Violence also has a small number of Pathfinding Cities, who are using the Pathfinding model to make change at the local level. Today, the initiative's reach has spread to every continent.
“I am committed to ensuring Zambia rises to the challenge of child protection and that the country becomes, through a multisectoral effort, an environment that enhances children’s wellbeing and growth,” said Moya.
