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PREFACE
There are presently nine National Child Rights Coalitions in West
Africa. Radda Barnen decided to undertake the present study, in
order to get a better understanding of their activities, action
plans, difficulties and lessons learnt. The findings that we present
in this report are based on a questionnaire which all the national
coalitions have answered.
We hope that this report will serve as a source of inspiration for
the organisations that want to create national coalitions or
similar networks. It is also our hope that this report will stimulate
the exchange of experiences between the existing national
coalitions.
We want to thank all the coalitions that kindly answered our
questionnaire and so graciously shared their experiences. Without
their contributions, this report would not have been possible.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CDC) was adopted
by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1989. It
entered into force in September 1990 after having been ratified
by 20 countries. Up till now (August 1997), 190 have ratified the
CDC. The United States have signed it. Somalia and Cook Islands
have neither signed nor ratified.
1.2 Two years after ratifying the CDC and then every five years,
the State Party has to submit reports to the Committee on the
Rights of the Child which is the UN treaty body responsible for
monitoring the CDC at the international level.
1.3 In article 45 a) of the CDC non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) are given a very specific role in the monitoring of the
CDC.
The Committee may invite the specialised agencies, the United
Nations Children's Fund and other competent bodies as it 'may
consider appropriate to provide expert advice on the
implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the
scope of the respective mandates."
The Committee has encouraged the active participation of NGOs
in this process by giving them the possibility of sending in
alternative or complementary reports to the State Party report.
1.4 In many countries the National Child Rights Coalitions have
been created in order to better co-ordinate the writing of the
alternative or complementary report. Little by little the National
Coalitions have developed and have assumed various roles in
the implementation of the CDC at the national level.
1.5 In this report we try to take stock of the present state of play
with regard to National Coalitions promoting the rights of the
child and the implementation of the CDC in West Africa. We study
the structure and nature of the national coalitions. We analyse
their activities, relationship with the government, activities and
role in society. Finally, we draw some conclusions and
present some lessons learnt.
1.6 The information has been gathered through a questionnaire
and direct contacts with the coalitions. Information material
produced by the national coalitions have also been studied.
1.7 The nine existing National Child Rights Coalitions in West
Africa (to our knowledge) have taken part in the study. They are:
La Coalition Guineenne pour les Droits de l'Enfant, COGUIDE,
Guinea-Conakry
The Ghana NGO Coalition on the Rights of the Child, Ghana
Coalition Senegalaise pour les Droits de l'Enfant, COSEDE,
Senegal
Coalition Malienne des Droits de l'Enfant, COMADE, Mali
Coalition au Burkina Faso pour les Droits de l'Enfant COBUFADE,
Burkina Faso
Coalition des ONG pour Ia Protection des Enfants au Togo,
COPET, Togo
Comite' Camerounais des Droits de l'Enfant, COCADE, Cameroon
Coalition Ivoirienne pour Ia Defense des Droits de l'Enfant, Ivory
Coast
2. NATURE OF THE NATIONAL COALITIONS
2.1 The coalitions have been established between 1994 and
1997. The National Coalition in Mali was the first one created in
1994 and the one in Benin the most recent one1 established in
1997. The majority of the coalitions were created in 1995. We are
dealing with coalitions that are fairly new and that are still in a
phase of consolidation. Some of them have just been established.
2.2 The coalitions have an average of 20 members. The Coalition
in Benin is the smallest one, with only three members at the time
of the study. However, we have to remember that this coalition is
still in the process of establishment. la COMADE (Mali) has the
highest number of members, 23.
2.3 The members of the coalitions represent a large scale of
various organisations. In all the coalitions we find organisations
promoting the rights of the child. A great number of the
organisations work in the area of education especially of street
children,
girls or other children at risk and their social reintegration. In
many coalitions (Togo, Cameroon, Benin, Senegal, Burkina Faso)
there are organisations giving legal counselling to children in
conflict with the law. In the coalitions in Cameroon and Guinea-
Conakry we find organisations working basically with children
with disabilities. The COBUFADE Burkina Faso) has the
largest variety of organisations from organisations defending the
rights of the child to organisations working in the area of water
drilling.
2.4 Three of the coalitions have international organisations as
members; the COMADE (Mali), COBUFADE (Burkina Faso) and
the Ghana Coalition. In COMADE and COBUFADE, the
international organisations are full members whereas in Ghana
they are presently discussing the status of international partner
organisations. The issue is whether they should be observers or
members. No UN agency is a member of the coalitions. This does
not signify that they do not sometimes give financial or technical
assistance.
2.5 As concerns the localisation of the member organisations of
the coalition, it is obvious that they are quite centralised to the
capital. However it is important to point out that quite a number
of organisations have activities in the regions, but that the HQ
are situated in the capital. There are coalitions, for example the
one in Ghana, which has, as one of its main objectives, that the
coalition should be representative.
3. STRUCTURE OF THE NATIONAL COALITION AND WORKING
METHODS
3.1 All the coalitions have more or less formal structures when it
comes to the functioning of the coalition. There is a General
Assembly, including all the members, which normally meets once
or twice a year. In Cameroon they meet every three years. The
General Assembly has a president. The mandate period of the
president varies. In Togo, they have a rotative system which
implies that the president is elected for six months. For the other
coalitions the president is normally elected for a period of one
or two years with the possibility of re-election.
3.2 The daily functioning is taken care of by an executive bureau
or secretariat. The members of the executive bureau are elected
by the General Assembly for a specific period of time. In
Cameroon, they are elected for a period of three years, whereas
in Guinea-Conakary, there are elections every year when two
members of the co-ordinating body are up for election.
3.3 It is obvious that there is a variation as concerns the number
of people being members of the executive body. The number of
members of the co-ordinating body is evidently established with
regard to the total number of the coalition.
3.4 In Mali and Burkina Faso, the executive bureau is composed
of nine members who are elected for a period of two years. In
Burkina Faso, they have also established, under the auspices of
the executive bureau, an executive committee of four members.
3.5 The coalitions also have commissions or working groups
which are more or less formal. In Togo, they create ad-hoc
committees for specific tasks. In Ghana, they have sub-
committees which report directly to the General Assembly.. These
sub-committees are responsible for training, advocacy, finances
and follow-up and specific themes. The co-ordinators of the sub-
committees are also members of executive bureau of the coalition.
3.6 The COBUFADE (Burkina Faso) have five working groups, i e
research, training, advocacy, specific activities and associative
life. Each group has a co-ordinator and the groups administer
their respective areas.
3.7 In Guinea-Conakry, there are sub-commissions which are
specialised in various areas, such as safeguard, protection,
participation, advocacy and defence of the rights of the child.
Each sub-commission has a rapporteur. The rapporteurs make up
the Technical Committee which is the consultative body of the
General Assembly.
3.8 In Cameroon, there are four sub-groups; socio-legal, health-
nutrition, education and training and relations with the media.
The animators of the sub-groups are responsible for the
execution of the projects.
3.9 Only two of the nine coalitions have employed and
remunerated coordinators. These coordinators are in charge of
the permanent secretariats of the COBUFADE (Burkina Faso) and
COMADE (Mali).
3.10 The most common system is to nominate an organisation to
take charge of the secretariat for a period of time, which
sometimes is defined sometimes not. Normally, the coordination
of the coalition is done above the normal activities of the
organisation and without any specific financing. In Ghana, they
have decided to have a rotative secretariat for a period of two
years. In Senegal, the various posts are up for nomination at
each General Assembly.
3.11 In Guinea-Conakry, the coordinating bureau is composed of
five members and chaired by a coordinator who works in
accordance with the instructions of the General Assembly. The
bureau meets once a month. They elaborate and execute the
programme of the coalition.
4. FINANCING
4.1 The main part of the national coalitions have membership
dues. However, these dues are insufficient and do not in any way
cover the activities that the coalition is undertaking or wants to
undertake.
4.2 Sometimes the national coalitions receive contributions for
specific activities. There are also legacies, donations and other
contributions.
4.3 The COMADE and COBUFADE have also benefited from more
substantial contributions from some of their members
(particularly international organisations) which have facilitated
their long-term planning
4.4 The COMADE has also tried income-generating activities (for
ex selling of publications).
5. ACTIVITIES OF THE NATIONAL COALITION
5.1 The national coalitions have a large number of activities.
Dissemination of information about the CDC is an area in which all
the coalitions are involved. They distribute the text of the CDC to
the coalition members or other associations or NGOs, as for
example in Senegal and the Ivory Coast. In Burkina Faso, the
coalition publishes a newsletter and writes articles in various
newspapers. The COGUIDE (Guinea-Conakry) has made a survey
among NGOs, UNICEF, UNESCO and other organisations
concerned and asked them what they were doing in order to
implement each article of the CDC. In Burkina Faso and Togo,
they translated the CDC into local languages and asked their
members to disseminate it to all key groups. In Cameroon and
Mali, they have made radio programmes about the content of the
CDC.
5.2 Children and youth are important target groups. In Burkina
Faso, they organised cultural competitions in order to raise
awareness about the rights of the child. Theatre is another
important tool to promote the CDC for the COBUFADE (Burkina
Faso) and the COGUIDE (Guinea-Conakry). In Mali, discussions
and debates are used to reach young people.
5.3 In Mali and Burkina Faso, the national coalitions have
experiences in organising children's parliaments.
5.4. Training is another important area of intervention of the
national coalitions. There is a variety of training courses. In
Ghana, logo and Burkina Faso they trained trainers of trainers on
the content and application of the CDC. These trainers are now
cascading the training within their own organisations, other
organisations, among key professionals, decision-makers etc.
5.5 Other types of training may include training of people working
in the legal system (remand homes, wardens, police) as in the
Ivory Coast and Guinea-Conakry and training on tools and legal
dispositions in Burkina Faso. In Burkina Faso they are also going
to have courses on project planning and follow-up. In Guinea-
Conakry they are preparing training courses on how to gather
information on the CDC and elaboration of projects on the CDC.
In Senegal as well as in Cameroon, they are also planning
management courses. In Togo, the coalition will be trained on
how to elaborate projects and participatory action-research. In
Mali they are preparing a training on lobbying and advocacy.
5.6 Some of the coalitions have elaborated alternative or
complementary reports. The Ghana NGO Coalition was specifically
established to write an alternative report. In the Ivory Coast the
coalition intends to write an alternative report in order to force
the State Party to write their report.
5.7 The COGUIDE (Guinea-Conakry) has just submitted their
alternative report. In Togo one of the member organisations of
the coalition initiated the writing of an alternative report and tried
to associate the members of the coalition, but only a limited
number could participate.
5.8 When Burkina Faso wrote their initial report, the COBUFADE
was not yet created. Burkina Faso is now writing their periodic
report, and the coalition is taking part in this work. However, they
are presently discussing the possibility of submitting an
alternative or complementary report.
5.9 In Benin, one of the member organisation of the coalition
participated in the writing of the State Party report. The coalition
is
contemplating the possibility of submitting an alternative report.
5.10 The situation is similar in Cameroon where the COCADE is a
member of the Committee set up to elaborate the report. They
are also contemplating writing a complementary report, but
wants to await the State Party report.
5.11 In Senegal, there was no national coalition at the time of
the submission of the initial report. One organisation, now a
member of the COSEDE, wrote an alternative report.
5.12 Bearing in mind that most countries in West Africa have not
yet submitted their initial reports or about to submit them, the
question of the follow-up of the Concluding Observations of the
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has not yet been that
important. The first West African countries to present reports
were Burkina Faso in 1994 and Senegal in 1995. However, the
COBUFADE (Burkina Faso) has not yet used the Concluding
Observations in a strategic way for example in their discussions
with the government. The situation is the same in Senegal.
5.13 Ghana's report has just been considered by the UN
Committee on the Rights of the Child, and the National Coalition
presently elaborating a plan of action based on the Committee's
recommendations.
5.14 In some countries in West Africa, there are projects dealing
with the revision of the national legislation in order to harmonise
it with the CDC. In some cases, the national coalitions have taken
part in these projects.
5.15 In Ghana, the members of the national coalition participate
in the meetings organised by the Ghana National Commission on
Children which is the body responsible for the new child
legislation.
5.16 In Togo two member organisations of the COPET have
participated in the elaboration of the new child law. The law has
come about due to the lobbying of the COPET among
parliamentarians and government.
5.17 In Guinea-Conakry they intend to pressurise the
government in order to make them finalise the family law.
5.18 Another activity which involves a number of West African
national coalitions is research.
5.19 In Ghana they are planning two studies, one on the concept
of a child-focussed state budget and the other on indicators to
follow-up the CDC.
5.20 The COBUFADE (Burkina Faso) has made two studies in
1996. One is an analysis of the legal framework relating to
children in Burki Faso and the other is a study on existing child-
related documentation. One study is underway on the
perceptions of the rights of the child in Burkina Faso.
5.21 The COGUIDE (Guinea-Conakry) is planning to make a
comparative study on the CDC and all legal documents on
children, in order to get a better understanding of the
contradictions and to make proposals for change to the decision-
makers at all levels of the Guinean society. Two other studies are
being prepared by the COGUDE, one is a mapping of good
practices in the application of the CDC in Guinea-Conkary and the
other is the evaluation of the promises made by the Guinean
state in connection with the elaboration of the National Plan of
Action to follow-up the Summit Meeting in New York in 1990.
5.22 In Cameroon, the COCADE has planned two studies on
children in distress and child exploitation.
5.23 The COPET (Togo) has not made any study, but some of the
members of the coalition have done research on the situation of
domestic servants, harmful traditional practices and child
trafficking.
5.24 The COMADE (Mali) is presently undertaking,in close co-
operation with some of the member organisations, a study on
child labour in Mali. With the support of UNICEF, they are also
doing a study on the capacity of the member organisations of
the COMADE.
6. CO-OPERATION WITH ThE GOVERNMENT
6.1 It could be noted that the collaboration between the national
coalitions and the government has been irregular and on an ad-
hoc basis. In most cases, it has been a question of national
coalitions participating in the elaboration of the State Party report
or in legislation projects (see above).
6.2 In Ghana the member organisations of the national coalition
participate in the meetings of the National Commission for
Children. When the initial report was elaborated in Ghana, the
Commission had not started to invite NGOs. The report was
submitted to the Committee on the Rights of the Child without
any consultation with the NGOs.
6.3 As concerns the periodic report of Burkina Faso, the
COBUFADE participates in the elaboration by being a member of
the National Commission for the Follow-up and Evaluation of the
Plan of Action for Children This Commission has sixteen members
from ministries, religious and traditional leaders, UNICEF and one
representative from national associations.
6.4 Three member organisations of the COPET in Togo were
members of the National Child Committee. They participated in
the elaboration of the first draft of the initial report. However, this
draft was revised within the framework of a small inter-ministerial
Committee where NGOs were not present. The report was then
sent to the Committee on the Rights of the Child without any
possibility for the NGOs of reviewing the text.
6.5 In the case of Benin, the national coalition is in the phase of
establishment. However, one of the members of the coalition
participated in the writing of the initial report together with the
state representatives.
6.6 In Mali and Cameroon, the national coalitions participated (or
participate) in the elaboration by being members of the
government bodies created for the purpose.
7. PRIORITY AREAS OF WORK OF THE NATIONAL COALITION
7.1 When asking the coalitions to enumerate their priority areas
of work for the next two years, it is possible to distinguish four
categories.
7.2 All the national coalitions want to give priority to training
activities. In Senegal, Benin, Cameroon, Guinea-Conakry and Mali
they want to train trainers on the CDC. There are also training
courses on the CDC for professional groups (Ivory Coast and
Guinea-Conakry) and for the members of the coalition or other
NGOs or associations (Cameroon, Togo, Burkina Faso, Ghana). In
the Ivory Coast they are talking about a training of NGOs on the
elaboration of an alternative report and in Ghana they want to
train people on specific themes (street children, juvenile justice,
etc).
7.3 Another priority area is the dissemination and awareness-
raising about the CDC. In the Ivory Coast, they plan to organise
a national seminar on the application of the CDC and produce a
booklet on the CDC. They are also planning to start a programme
in schools in order to disseminate the CDC and make a series of
radio programmes. In Burkina Faso and Togo, the national
coalitions find it important to lobby decision-makers in order to
get a change of attitudes. In Senegal and in Burkina Faso, they
want to disseminate simplified versions of the CDC to adults and
children. One priority in Guinea-Conakry is the publication of a
newsletter for children.
7.4 Studies and research are considered to be strategic areas of
intervention for the national coalitions in order to reinforce their
lobby activities and raise their level of knowledge. Cameroon,
Guinea-Conakry and Burkina Faso are preparing or presently
undertaking studies (see above). In Togo they intend to study
various cases of violation (working children, children in conflict
with the law). In Benin, they are raising funds for studies on child
labour, child trafficking and sexual exploitation of children.
7.5 Some national coalitions also mention the importance of
following up the State Party report. In Ghana, the follow-up of the
Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the
Child is part of their plan of action. In Cameroon they will lobby
the government to make the report public and widely
disseminated.
7.6 The importance of reflection and exchange at the national
and international levels is pointed out by the COBUFADE (Burkina
Faso) and COGUIDE (Guinea-Conakry). The COBUFADE also
underlines the importance of involving children and young people
in the activities of the national coalition and to find appropriate
means and methods for doing it.
8. PRINCIPAL ROLE OF THE NATIONAL COALITION
8.1 How do the national coalitions envisage their role in society?
Almost all the national coalitions highlight the role of being a
unified voice of organisations promoting the rights of the child
and young people. They are a lobby group which exerts pressure
on the government.
8.2 In Mali they want to support organisations working in the
area of the rights of child in order to make them more
professional.
8.3 Benin underlines the benefits of multiplying forces in order to
denounce violations of the rights of the child or to take sides with
children and their rights.
8.4 For the COGUIDE (Guinea-Conakry) it is important to join
forces in order to create a synergy for the effective application of
the CDC. They also highlight the importance of establishing a
platform for sharing tasks. They regard the national coalition as a
place for. reflection and consultation in order to avoid duplications
of activities. The COPET (Togo) is of the same opinion and
underlines the importance of sharing forces and knowledge in
order to be able to carry out activities that are more credible and
concerted.
8.5 The Ghana National Coalition highlights the specific role of the
network as an advocate for the rights of the child and as a force
to strengthen the NGOs.
9. PROBLEMS/DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED
9.1 A large number of the problems of the national coalitions are
related to the lack of resources, especially, financial. The
insufficiency of funds is a great obstacle to the functioning of the
national coalition and makes long-term planning impossible.
9.2 Another problem is the inexperience of the organisations with
regard to networks. A lot of energy and efforts are put into
reconciling the different interests of the member organisations.
9.3 The lack of leadership is also raised. In Togo, many
organisations feared that they would be absorbed by the
network. This problem was resolved by establishing a very simple
structure which everyone could agree on.
9.4 The relationship between the international organisations and
the national organisations need also to be clarified in order to
be sure about the expectations of the various parties. On the
other hand there are organisations which lack the involvement of
international organisations.
9.5 For the COBUFADE (Burkina Faso) the communication and
circulation of information between the member coalitions have
been a problem. They resolved it by publishing a newsletter.
Another difficulty underlined by the COBUFADE is to keep the
debate with the members and maintain the momentum of the
coalition as well as to respect the deadlines for the various
activities planned.
9.6 There is sometimes a tension between the executive bureau
and the co-ordination established which in some cases has
paralysed the work of the national coalition.
10. CONCLUSIONS AND LESSONS LEARNT
What conclusions and lessons learnt could we draw from the
experiences of the national coalitions?:
The notion of being part of a network is relatively new in the
West African context as well as the concept of NGOs. Therefore, it
is important to give time to discussions and reflection. All the
members of the national coalition should agree on their role in
the network and on the principal idea of creating the network.
Define the role of the international organisations in order to avoid
that they absorb the coalition. We are dealing with national
coalitions that should represent the civil society of the country.
Remember that the national coalition should work in
complementary with the government and not in opposition.
Try to establish models of partnership with UNICEF other UN
agencies and organisations.
Identify some areas of intervention of the national coalition. Avoid
projects that demand a lot of administration and financial and
human resources. Try to make use of already existing knowledge
within the member organisations.
try to involve organisations that are not necessarily based in the
capital. A representative national coalition reinforces the
credibility and legitimacy.
Do not restrict the membership of the national coalition to
organisations only working in the area of welfare. Try also to
involveassociations of professionals, students, trade unions, etc.
Do not establish heavy administrative structures for the co-
ordination of the coalition.
Look into the possibility of having a rotative secretariat which
allows all organisations to assume the responsibility of co-
ordination for a determined period of time. This model does not
imply that the coalition cannot raise funds in order to reinforce
temporarily the administrative capacity of the organisation in
question.
Training is important, not only on the CDC but also as concerns
methods on gathering information, administration and advocacy.
Encourage the follow-up of the State party report and later the
Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the
Child. It is also necessary to avoid the void that can open up
after the elaboration and consideration of the report.
There is still a long way to go to involve children and young
people in the national coalitions.
The exchange of experiences between the national coalitions
should be encouraged. In this area, the international
organisations could play an important role in facilitating regional
consultations or other similar events.