Indigenous Children’s Rights and Responsibilities in the Cultural Context of Borana Oromo, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract This article seeks to analyse the Indigenous conception, rights and responsibilities of children in the cultural context of the Borana Oromo in Ethiopia. The Borana are dominantly pastoralists who practise the Indigenous political system called “Gadaa”, a unesco -registered, intangible cultural heritage of the humanities. The qualitative data used in this paper were gathered from purposively selected parents and children. The findings reveal that children have the right to life, care, protection, socialisation, love, information and expression, and the right to “Handhuraa” (the initial gift). Likewise, children’s responsibilities include learning and respecting culture, making appropriate labour contributions, and respecting elders. Finally, the study suggests that policymakers and practitioners should give better consideration to local practices and values when formulating policies and possible interventions for the successful implementation of children’s rights and duties, rather than taking the dominant ideas from the international and continental conventions at face value.