The campaign, which aims at stopping the sub-culture of violence among children, is timed for the end of each year to precede the ex-change of gifts that characterises the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

During the launching ceremony, keynote presentations were delivered on: the socio-psychological effects of war toys and violent films on children; the production of films and their intended effects; and censorship laws on films and their enforcement in Cameroon. A report on the campaign andits impact over the last three years was also presented.

The campaign has been running since 1999 with a special focus on children - who constitute an important target group in building a culture of peace, especially as Proverb 22:6 challenges, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

According to UNICEF, “Children need to learn that violence is not an acceptable means of ending disagreement or resolving conflict.”

Therefore, rather than tell children that to have a gun is to be powerful, we had better let them know that strength nowadays lies in intelligence and tolerance, that what we see in movies is not real, and that in real life, guns do kill people.

It was in this same light that the founder of the Ecumenical Service for Peace, Norbert KENNE of blessed memory argued that, “We cannot claim to build a society of peace and security, at the same time nurturing violence and war in our children”.

The “Justice and Peace Department” of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, and the Ecumenical Service for Peace, together draw inspiration from Christian values to set up a society of participation based on justice, peace and reconciliation.

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