58.
In addition, a number of multi-sectoral committees, sub-committees and taskforces
have been established over time, largely under the leadership of the MSWGCA.
Some of these enjoyed a limited life-span and were disbanded when circumstances
changed and they were no longer needed, whereas others remain active. They have
been established to coordinate the development, implementation and monitoring of
interventions for especially vulnerable groups of children or specific child protection
issues which require the provision of multiple services by different sectors and
departments. These include, for example:
The National Commission for War Affected Children (NaCWAC) was established
in immediate post-war years to provide a vehicle for the coordination of the many
interventions provided by NGOs and government to rehabilitate reintegrate
affected children into their communities and families. This structure is no longer
active.
58.2
The original Task Force on Orphans and Vulnerable Children was established
after the war to coordinate the planning and implementation by different
stakeholders in various sectors, including NGOs, of policies and programmes
for children who had lost or were separated from their parents and/or made
vulnerable by a multiplicity of factors such as poverty and chronic illness. The
Taskforce has since twice been renamed and restructured, reflecting a move
away from an issue-based towards a system’s-based approach to addressing the
structural drivers and indigenous resources available to prevent vulnerability
and separation from parents and families. The Taskforce was first renamed
the Taskforce on Vulnerable and Excluded Children, and most recently,
the Alternative Care Taskforce which is tasked with lasting and systemic
solutions for children separated, or at risk of separation from their parents
(Child Frontiers Limited, 2010).
58.3
The Child Rights Act Committee was established to promote knowledge and
implementation of the act and remains currently active.
58.4
The National Child Justice Task Force is tasked with developing policies,
laws and programmes to ensure that children who come into contact with
the law are treated as required by the various international and regional
child rights instruments. This structure remains active.
58.5
The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Task Force has been established by the
MSWGCA with the collaboration of other stakeholders, such as the Police
and Immigration and includes representation from civil society, the CPN,
and the media. This structure remains active.
58.6
The National Commission for Gender Based Violence (NaCGBV) is a multisectoral structure that meets monthly and has five thematic groups looking
at specific areas related to GBV.
The preceding structures have proven to be useful at facilitating representation
of sectors at an issue-based level and the sharing of information across sectors.
Their efficacy has however limited by a number of factors, including the sporadic
participation of different line ministries and their focus on either child protection
59.
22
58.1
Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone Initial Report on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 2002-2014