The Day of the African Child champions the protection and rights of African Children. It commemorates the bravery of the youth who lost their lives through massacre against the Apartheid government in 1976, when over 10,000 black students from Soweto marched in protest of the poor quality of their education.
The protest march also sought to show discontent over the Black Education Act, which segregated students based on their race. During two weeks of protests dubbed the ‘Soweto Uprising’, more than 100 students were killed and thousands more injured.
In 1991, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the then OAU (now African Union) set a side 16th June as the Day of the African Child.