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[24 May 2005, BAMAKO] - Twenty children from 15 countries in West and
Central Africa, representing both school attending children, as well as
working children, gathered in Bamako to prepare for the Regional
Consultation on violence against children from 19 to 22 May 2005. The
forum was facilitated by Save the Children Sweden Regional Office for
West Africa.
Prior to meeting in Mali for the actual consultation, Save the Children
Sweden identified 58 child-led associations, child parliaments, children’s
clubs in schools, associations of working children to prepare for their
participation at the regional consultation. There was then a meeting in
each country to inform children about the UN Study on Violence against
children and the upcoming regional consultation.
During these meetings, children decided they wanted to conduct their own
studies in their countries as a way of contributing to the consultation.
Children’s clubs of school-attending and non-school attending children,
together with children’s parliaments, decided to work on corporal
punishment in the home and in schools. Associations of working children
decided to work on violence affecting children in the work place, and a
mixed group decided to work on sexual abuse in schools and in the family.
Children then met for the first time last week in Bamako to bring together
all their studies and plan their presentations for the consultation. However
some of the children attending this consultation, also attended the UN
Special Session on Children in New York in 2002, and having seen little
follow-up to the outcome document, A World Fit for Children, were
sceptical about the use of the consultation and elaborating
recommendations that would have no follow-up. They therefore decided to
request that their recommendations would become part of the programme
plans of organisations and NGOs they are associated with. Save the
Children Sweden, who financed this project, have now prepared their
workplans based on children’s recommendations.
Furthermore, children were concerned about their participation at the
consultation, knowing full well that children’s participation is often more
symbolic than meaningful.
So for them, the regional consultation is just the beginning of their work.
Once the consultation is over, children will then go back to their respective
countries and present their studies and recommendations to their
organisations, NGOs, children, schools, governments and the media and
start working on methods of implementation and follow-up.
For more information, contact: Veronica Yates, [email protected]