This year, the 33rd Ordinary Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) took place between 13th and 20th March 2019. The Trust Child Rights team took part in the sessions which focused on;
- Consideration of five (5) state party reports from the following State Parties; Benin, Eswatini, Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal on the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC),
- Day of General Discussion on Online Child Sexual Exploitation,
- Panel Discussion on Children affected by armed conflict ,
- Consideration of communications or complaints on child rights violations,
- Consideration of observer status,
- Report on the theme of the Day of the African Child (DAC) 2020, and launching of the continental study on children on the Move.
In line with the provisions of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and Africaās Agenda for Children – 2040, Graca Machel Trust continue to amplify childrenās voice through direct engagement with the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Children (ACERWC).Ā At theĀ Committee session, the TrustāsĀ sensitized the Committee about the alarming number of Out of School Children in Africa, which is estimated to 9 million; and further urged the Committee to request member states to pay urgent attention to this emerging challenging.Ā In addition, the Trust pledged its commitment to support the Committee to maximize the effective use of the Child Rights Complaints mechanism by Children, Civil Society Organisations and National Human Rights Institutions through its capacity building initiative.
See below our statement to the Committee:
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Statement by the GraƧa Machel Trust to the 33rd Session of the African Committee of Experts on
the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC)
In line with the Global trends and moving towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030, the GraƧa Machel Trust would like to make the following commitments to the Committee:
- As the GraƧa Machel Trust, we have noted with great concern that there are at least 9 million Out of School girls in Africa. Madam Chair, this poses a serious threat to the Continentās social, economic and political development. As the Trust we will continue to use our convening powers to contribute towards the reduction of the number of Out of School Children in Africa. However, we also urge the Committee to ensure that Member States pay much attention to this emerging challenge.
- Madam Chair, Malnutrition remains one of the key concerns in Africa, thus as the Trust, we have initiated #3in3 Nutrition Campaign, primarily to ensure that the nine African countries which are highly affected by this challenge, increase their respective National Nutrition Budget allocation by 3% in the next 3 years, notably 2018 ā 2021. Once again, we urge the Committee to support in monitoring the implementation of this commitment primarily to improve the wellbeing of the African Child.
- Through our continued work and partnership with Save the Children International Regional Programming Unit (RPU) and the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), we remain committed to supporting the African Committee of Experts in maximizing the effective use of the Committeeās complaints mechanisms by children, CSOs and NHRIs.
We would like to congratulate the Committee for successfully hosting the 33rd session and we remain committed to supporting the Committee in translating the rights of the African child into a reality.
Read more on our work with children here
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting childrenās rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Childrenās Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsā health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trustās goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a motherās health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childās life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.