AFRICAN COMMITTEE: Civil society pushes for action on child rights

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Summary: This report was written by Plan Sweden and Plan's Regional Office for West Africa.

For more information, contact: Anna G:son Berg, Technical Focal Person at: annagsonberg@gmail.com.

[ADDIS ABABA, 20 April 2009] - The First Civil Society Forum on the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACEWRC) was staged in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 17-19 April, 2009.

The aim of the meeting, which was held prior to the Committee's 13th session, was to discuss ways for civil society to support the Committee's work.

During the meeting, participants developed recommendations for the Committee, States and civil society organisations on communications, alternative reporting, rules of procedure and the Committee's action plan. NGOs which have already submitted alternative reports or communications also shared their experiences.

The forum, which drew sixty participants from across the continent, including representatives from the Committee, will now be held as a regular event.

The meeting was organised by a group of child rights NGOs including: The African Child Policy Forum, The Africa-Wide Movement for Children, African Network for the Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect, Plan International and Save the Children Alliance, in collaboration with the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

Plan International compiled daily reports from the event.

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MENU: Day 1 – Day 2 – Day 3 – Recommendations
See also: An experience of submitting a communication to the African Committee

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Day 1 – Download the full report

Mme Mariama CissĂŠ, Secretary of the African Committee of Experts, opened the meeting with an introduction to the African human rights system and how it can be used to advance children's rights.

Plan International and Save the Children Sweden launched the guide "Advancing Children’s Rights: A Guide for Civil Society Organisations on how to engage with the African child rights committee"

Civil society representatives then split into groups to share experiences and develop recommendations on communications, alternative reporting and rules of procedure.

Day 2 – Download the full report

The Committee presented its strategic plan and priorities for the coming years. Civil society organisations made some suggestions for amending the plan, on the Committee's request. Read these here.

Other speakers addressed the restrictive laws governing the activities of NGOs, including the controversial law recently adopted by the Ethiopian Parliament in January 2009 which could both give control to the government over NGO activities and criminalise the work of human rights defenders. A recommendation was made to the Committee to initiate discussions with States on the need “to create a conducive environment for the operations of NGOs/CSOs.”

Day 3 – Download the full report

Hannah Forster from the Africa Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies shared experiences of organising NGO fora prior to sessions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

Participants agreed that the civil society forum would be held as a regular event before African Committee sessions.

Recommendations to the African Committee, States and civil society organisations

Participants made the following recommendations to the ACERWC:
Read the complete document here.

General Functions (Article 42 ACRWC):

Continue in its efforts to forge a progressive and sustained relationship with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in order to create a common platform for the promotion and protection of children’s rights;

Communicate at least three months in advance the identified themes to mark the Day of the African Child not only to Member States, but also to NGOs/CSOs and other partners;

Participate actively with all stakeholders in the celebration of the Day of the African Child;

Use its influence and position as an institution of the African Union to initiate discussions on the need for countries to create a conducive environment for the operations of NGOs/CSOs.

Use all available channels and means, including promotional missions, to ensure that the African Children’s Charter reaches full ratification status in line with the African Union Heads of State and Government’s Report for complete ratification by December 2008;

Circulate the Session’s agenda four weeks in advance as per the Rules of Procedure of the ACERWC;

Reporting Procedure (Article 43 ACRWC):

Amend the guidelines for initial State Party Reporting to take into account the specificities of the African Children’s Charter;

Set the maximum number of pages for State reports (excluding the attached annexes) so as to favour a standardised format to expedite consideration of reports;

Put in place mechanisms to improve the flow of information between the ACERWC and NGOs/CSOs by periodically circulating information on State Party Reports and communications, among others, through the Committee’s own regularly updated webpage and through partners’ websites;

Communications (Article 44 ACRWC):

Develop a template or a form that any person, group or NGO/CSO planning to forward a communication to the ACERWC can use for that purpose;

Amend its guidelines for the consideration of Communications to include a time frame of six weeks for the ACERWC to acknowledge receipt of a Communication, to make a decision on admissibility within six months from the date of receipt, and finally to give its decision on the merits of the Communication within one year from the date of admissibility to ensure that victims are not left without redress;

Take provisional measures, in cases of urgency, to prevent any harm to the child or children who would be victims of violations, as provided for in the Guidelines for the Consideration of Communications;

Include a progress report on Communications as a standing agenda item for each ACERWC Session;

Participation and Representation:

Provide a progress report on applications they have received from NGOs/CSOs seeking Observer Status to the applicants;

To State Parties to the African Children’s Charter:

Proceed with the domestication and application of the provisions of the African Children’s Charter;

Submit, in a timely manner, initial and periodic state reports in accordance with the African Children’s Charter;

Call on Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, São Tomé & Principe, Somalia, Swaziland and Tunisia to ratify the African Children’s Charter without any further delay to comply with the African Union Heads of State and Government’s Report for complete ratification by December 2008;

Jointly plan and implement activities to mark the Day of the African Child in collaboration with the ACERWC, parent ministries and NGOs/CSOs and other partners;

Respect their obligations under human rights treaties they have ratified by ensuring that NGOs/CSOs are able to work without restrictive conditions to curtail their operations.

To the CSO Forum:

Urge Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, São Tomé & Principe, Somalia, Swaziland and Tunisia to ratify the African Children’s Charter without any further delay;

Encourages NGOs/CSOs and other partners in countries affected by restrictive legislation to collaborate with national and international networks and other human rights organisations to collectively advocate for the continuance of a conducive environment for the operation of NGOs/CSOs in Africa.

For more information, contact: Anna G:son Berg, Technical Focal Person
Email: annagsonberg@gmail.com.

Further information

pdf: http://www.crin.org/docs/Days.doc

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