I.
Introduction
1. The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
(ACERWC/the Committee) extends its compliments to the Government of
the Republic of Senegal and wishes to acknowledge with thanks the receipt
of its Periodic Report on the status of the implementation of the African
Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (the African Children’s
Charter/the Charter) which was submitted in accordance with the State
Party’s obligation under article 43 of the Charter. The ACERWC considered
the Report of the Republic of Senegal during its 33rd Ordinary Session,
which was held on 18-28 March 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2. The Committee extends its appreciation for the dialogue held with the high
level and multi-sectorial delegation led by the Minister of Good Governance
and Child Protection, H.E. Ndèye Ramatoulaye Guey with whom the
Members of the ACERWC had a productive discussion with. The dialogue
indeed helped the Committee to better understand the measures that the
State Party has undertaken towards the implementation of the Charter as
well as the challenges it is facing. After a careful consideration of the facts in
the Report and the information provided during the constructive dialogue,
the Committee has developed and adopted the following Concluding
Observations and Recommendations which, in the Committee’s view,
provide guidance for the State Party to better enhance the implementation of
the provisions of the African Children’s Charter.
II. PROGRESS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CHARTER
3. The Committee, despite the lack of a comprehensive Constitutional
provision that deals with children’s rights, commends the State Party for its
all-inclusive Constitution that attempt to covers all ‘three generations’ of
rights and adopt indivisibility and interdependence between categories of
rights.
4. The Committee also commends the Government of the Republic of Senegal
on a number of developments, which have been recorded subsequent to the
review of the initial report in 2011 at the Committee’s 18th session,
including;
a. The adoption of Law No. 2013-05 of 8th July 2013, amending Law
No. 61-10 of 07th March 1961 determining Senegalese nationality.
b. The development of a National Child Protection Strategy (SNPE) in
2013 and its National Action Plans (2013-2015 and 2016-2018);
with the grand aim of ‘offering to all children in Senegal, to their
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