GUIDELINES ON THE CONDUCT OF INVESTIGATIONS BY THE AFRICAN COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE CHILD INTRODUCTION The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child is estab- lished under Article 32 of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. Its mandate is to, inter-alia, promote and protect the rights of children as enshrined in the Charter; Collect and document information; commission interdisciplinary assessment of situations on African Problems in the area of the rights and welfare of the child; formulate and lay down principles and rules aimed at protecting the rights of the child; and above all monitor the implementation and ensure protection of the rights enshrined in the Charter and to supervise their observance. Article 44(1) provides that “The Committee may receive communication from any per- son group or non-governmental organisation recognised by the Organisation of the African Unity, by a Member State or the United Nations relating to any matter covered by this Charter”. Further, Article 45 (i) of the African Charter provides that “The Committee may, resort to any appropriate method of investigating any matter falling within the ambit of the present Charter, request from the States Parties any information relevant to the implementation of the Charter and may also resort to any appropriate method of investigating the measures a State Party has adopted to implement the Charter”. It would thus appear that on the basis of the ratification of the African Charter on the Child and without the need for a complementary acceptance of competence, the Committee of Experts is empowered to investigate any issue arising from the Charter, including alleged or observed violations of the rights and welfare of the child that could or could not have been submitted to it. 1