Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: The aim of this gathering was to propose a decision-making process supportive of the emergence of a constructive tripartite relationship: African civil society, representatives of responsible authorities and European stakeholders, so as to significantly improve the education of minors deprived of their liberty in Africa. This workshop took place over a day and a half and followed a three-fold programme: the first session was designed to outline the issue of education of minors deprived of liberty in Africa and engage participants in a round table discussion on the topic; in a second session, four thematic workshops allowed the participants to look into the issue and possible intervention schemes; the third session was dedicated to drawing conclusions and recommendations. This workshop aimed at gathering the various European stakeholders (public and private, governmental and non- governmental) involved – or at least interested – in this issue to evaluate conceptions and the willingness to engage in coordinated support – rather than replacement – of African stakeholders. To this end, the workshop targeted as a priority European NGOs and donors, with a view to consulting and mobilising them. The participants expressed the following observations: A. The issue of minors deprived of their liberty in Africa and of their rights, including their right to quality education, is widely overlooked, if not neglected or negated, by a majority of actors at national and international levels.
B. The few stakeholders identified seem to act in isolation from each other without real coordination at national or regional levels. Interventions rarely involve advocacy; they are, rather, focused on providing detainees with direct assistance and prioritise basic needs other than education.
C. There is great vagueness on the scope of the phenomenon in Africa: data is poor and few studies have been conducted.