ACERWC - 2 -Tribune
Editorial Note
A
The ACERWC in Article 32, provides
for the establishment of a monitoring
Dr. Benyam Dawit Mezmur
Chairperson ACERWC
body whose mandate is to promote
An Africa Fit For Children
of the child. As a result, the African
and protect the rights and welfare
continent where all African chil- Committee of Experts on the Rights
dren fully enjoy the rights en- and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC)
shrined in the African Charter on was established in 2001. Since then,
the Rights and Welfare of the Child with little in the way of human and
(ACRWC) is the goal that the African financial resources, the Committee
Committee of Experts on the Rights has endeavored to fulfill its mandate.
successes major campaign called “Campaign for
the Children’s Charter) is moving to- recorded regarding the promotion the Universal Ratification of and Reportwards. As far back as 01 July 1990, the and protection of children’s rights ing on the African Children’s Charter”.
Member States of the then Organiza- in Africa, the ACERWC firmly be- The Campaign aims at encouraging
and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC/
Despite
all
the
tion of the African Unity (OAU), unan- lieves that Africa has still a long way Member States who have not yet
imously adopted the ACRWC to con- to go to create a Continent fit for ratified the Charter to do so, and State
textualize and complement the UN children. Particularly in areas re- to get Parties to comply with their
Convention on the Rights of the Child lated to the situation of children in reporting obligations relating to the
(CRC). Driven by the belief that the armed conflict, harmful traditional implementation of the provisions of
child occupies a unique and privileged practices including child marriage, the ACRWC. The Committee strongly
position in the African society, the children with disabilities and child la- aspires towards the full realization of
African Children’s Charter emerged as bor, State Parties have to strengthen children’s rights in accordance with the
the only regional human rights instru- efforts to address the plight of chil- provisions of the ACRWC. We therement that identifies the child, not as dren in their respective jurisdictions. fore, calls upon Member States, CSOs
To help the process of creating and the media to come on board and
as a rights holder and enables him/ an Africa which is fit for children and support the Committee in the process
her to assert them. The ACRWC came in order to fully ensure the promotion of creating an Africa fit for children.
a mere beneficiary of rights, but also
into force on 29 November 1999, af- and protection of children’s rights in
ter ratification by 15 State Parties. Africa, the ACERWC has launched a
Engage with us now, African children
can’t wait!
continued from Page 2
To complement the protective mandate of the Com-
Moreover, in 1990, shortly after the establishment of
mission,the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and
the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the OAU
Peoples’ Rights on the establishment of an African Court on
Assembly has adopted the African Charter on the Rights and
Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Court Protocol), was adopt-
Welfare of the Child (ACRWC). This Charter, as it is crafted in a
ed in June 1998 and the Court became operational in 2006.
manner it can be able to address issues specific to the African