CSO Forum to the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

Thanks to the support of Save the Children Sweden, ZCEA was among civil society organisations that mooted the idea of a civil society forum which was formed to support the work of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC). The ACERWC is a Committee of 11 men and women of high moral standing, integrity, impartiality and competence in matters of the rights and welfare of the child who supervise the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights of the Child (ACRWC). The ACRWC is an African Human Rights Treaty that was drawn up to protect the rights and welfare of the African child. The treaty is very similar to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child but it has African specific provisions such as the protection of children against harmful cultural practices.

Anyhow, in November 2008 at the ACERWC’s 12th session of the, ZCEA, Ditshwanelo the Botswana Centre for Human Rights and the South African Council of Churches representatives made a submission to the ACERWC on ending corporal and other forms of humiliating punishment of children. The submission was on behalf of the Southern African Network to End Corporal and Humiliating Punishment of Children (Promoting Positive Discipline). During the session there are quite a number of closed sessions when the Committee meets on its own. It was during one of these closed sessions that the representatives of civil society that were present at the sessions had a side meeting convened by Edmond Foley and Angela Naggaga both of the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA). Judith Mulenga of ZCEA attended the meeting. It was at this meeting that the idea of forming a civil society forum to support the work of the ACERWC was mooted and the following year in 2009 at the April session of the ACERWC the first CSO Forum on the ACRWC was held.

The idea is to bring together CSOs working on children’s issues from across Africa in a formal way. Prior to the formation of the Forum many CSOs in Africa had long been involved in the work of the Committee on an informal and ad hoc manner. It provides an opportunity for CSOs to engage with the mechanisms of the ACERWC as well as to discuss issues directly with Committee Members who attend the meetings. It is also a platform for partnership and networking and as a starting point for advocacy around children’s rights in Africa among CSOs. The CSO Forum is held just before a session of the ACERWC and supports the work of the Committee and provides a strong platform of for child rights information and advocacy in Africa. At the November 14th session of the ACERWC, ZCEA was part of the CSO Forum and inputted into recommendations that the CSO Forum wanted incorporated into the Strategic Plan of the ACERWC for the period 2010 to 2014. ZCEA is proud to be a part of this august gathering of children’s rights experts on the continent.