Report on the Advocacy Mission to assess the situation of children in South Sudan Background 1. The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) was adopted at the 26th Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on 11 July 1990 and came into force on 29 November 1999. Article 32 of the Charter established the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) whose mandate is, among others, to monitor implementation, promote and protect the rights enshrined in the African Children’s Charter. 2. The Committee is deeply concerned about the scale of the humanitarian challenges in South Sudan, which have implications for the protection and well-being of children.The Committee takes note of the fact that Articles 22, 23, and 25 of the ACRWC explicitly recognises the need to respect international law as it applies to the effect of armed conflict on children, particularly those who are displaced and separated from their parents. 3. Contrary the protection accorded through the African Children’s Charter, the Committee realised that, children in South Sudan are among the most vulnerable to a broad range of serious violations, including being involved with armed groups. The Committee was 1