CSO Reporting to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC)

1. CSO Reporting to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) 9th CSO Forum on ACRWC – Dakar, Senegal (2 – 4 April 2014) Edmund Amarkwei Foley (Technical Advisor on Children, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Republic of Ghana)

2. State Party Reporting in ACERWC’s Work • Art 42(b) of ACRWC mandates ACERWC to monitor implementation and ensure protection of child rights by State Parties to the Charter. • ACERWC implementation and protection monitoring is done through State Reporting, Communications and Investigations. • ACERWC is assisted in its State Reporting mandate by CSO Report which provide alternative, complementary or additionalinformation.

3. Benefits of Reporting • Provides a framework for monitoring by the ACERWC • Provides a forum for dialogue between ACERWC, State Parties and CSOs to mutually discuss the realization of children’s rights • Provides an avenue for identifying problems/challenges, design solutions and measure efficacy of solutions • Provides a tool for CSOs to measure progress by State Parties

4. Reporting Process Initial Report (2yrs after ratification) Periodic Report (Every 3 yrs after IR)

5. Content of State Party Report • State Party Report will contain information on: • Legislative, judicial or administrative measures • Institutional measures for monitoring nationally • Challenges encountered in implementation • Goals, targets and plans for future implementation • State Report will then address the above information under 9 themes under ACRWC: • General measures of implementation (art 1) • Definition of a child (art 2) • General principles (arts 3 and 26, 4, 5, 7 and 12) • Civil rights and freedoms (arts 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 16) • Family environment and family care (16, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, and 27) • Health and welfare (arts 5, 13, 14, 20 and 25) • Education, Leisure and cultural activities (arts 11 and 12) • Special protection measures (arts 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30) • Responsibility of the child (art 31)

6. Civil Society Report • Known variously as ‘shadow’, ‘complementary’, ‘alternative’, supplementary, ‘NGO’, etc. Report (‘shadow’ Report is no longer being encourage as it may sound negative) • Rule 69 of the ACERWC’s Rules of Procedure allows the ACERWC to receive Reports from CSOs • Although ACERWC receives CSO Reports, it strongly encourages State Parties to adopt a participatory approach towards developing the State Party Report. CSOs should therefore actively participate in the national process but also prepare to submit its own CSO Report

7. Why CSO Report? • Two African proverbs: • ‘He who cuts a path in the bush cannot tell how straight it goes, unless another guides him from behind’ • ‘One head does not constitute a council’ • State Party Report cannot and may not provide total, relevant and veritable information required. CSO Report helps to fill these gaps in information • CSO Reports can provide vital analysis of implementation, as many State Party Report often provide information on existence of measures • CSO Reports diversify information base for ACERWC to enhance its monitoring mandate • The process of CSO Report preparation builds consensus and strengthens national collaborative efforts among CSOs • One of the most favoured approaches is joint reporting through a national coalition process • CSO Report is a strategic advocacy document to engage the State Party and ACERWC

8. CSO Reporting Process

9. Post-Reporting Process

10. Conclusion • Let’s share our experiences with CSO Reporting! Shokran! Obrigado! Jerre-Jeff! Zikomo! Merçi beaucoup! Akpe kakaa! Ese! Asante sana! Baiedankie! Thank you! (and all the other ways of saying … ‘I’m grateful for your attention ’