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Progress Report: Achievements of Civil Society in the 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the

This report provides an overview of the progress made by civil society in the 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, including recommendations shared with the ACERWC, influencing the nomination and lobbying for the ratification of the Charter, and information sharing efforts. The report also highlights training initiatives on the Charter.

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Progress Report: Achievements of Civil Society in the 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the

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  1. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Progress Report:What have we, as civil society, done?March 11, 2010Sophie Joy MoskoSave the Children

  2. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Progress report • This progress report is based on information collected from the organizing committee, the questionnaires received and anecdotes. • We received 22 questionnaires • Questionnaires were received from individuals in 11 countries

  3. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 3 Forums have been organized1st in April 2009- 63 people attended2nd in November 2009- 146 people attended 3rd in March 2010- 142 people registeredIn this Forum we have participants from 31 African countries and 2 European countries. Organization of the Forums

  4. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child - Recommendations have been shared with the ACERWC at 2 consecutive meetings. Main recommendations were recorded in the 14th Session report and one was acted upon acknowledging it was recommended by the Forum.- Civil society has fed in comments to the Draft Plan of Action of the ACERWC for 2010- 2014 Feeding information to ACERWC

  5. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child A fact sheet was developed and circulated to more than 750 people on how CSOs can influence the nomination process of ACERWC candidates- In at least 13 African countries, we know the fact sheet was disseminated to other NGOs and coalitions- In Kenya, Senegal (regional workshop), Tanzania, South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, The Gambia, we know it was discussed in meetings or specific meetings were set up to follow the process- SADC countries are organizing to support candidates from other countries.Any more??? CSO influencing the nomination of candidates for the ACERWC

  6. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child We know that CSOs and/or individuals have made effort to nominate candidates in: Senegal Malawi Ethiopia Zambia Botswana KenyaThe Gambia South Africa ChadGuinea-Bissau Somalia MaliTanzania Côte d’Ivoire In Kenya and The Gambia a small committee has been established to nominate candidates.Any more???? CSO influencing the nomination of candidates for the ACERWC

  7. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child The AU Legal Affairs Department has finally sent out the Note Verbale to countries about the election.The official deadline for the AU Department of Legal Affairs to receive nominations is still unclear. Update on the nominations

  8. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child We know lobbying is being done in:Senegal – to be submitted end of Feb. 2010Togo- submittedCote d’IvoireThe Gambia- consultant identified to do the initial reportRwanda – to submit updated initial reportSudan – due in 2010 Madagascar- finished but not submittedHow? Lobbying, breakfast meetings, media briefings, workshops,etc.Anywhere else??? Lobbying to submit initial report

  9. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Civil society have most recently been involve in lobbying for ratification in:Guinea-Bissau ZambiaSwazilandAnywhere else? Ratification of the ACRWC

  10. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Information about and from the CSO Forum has been shared widely. Questionnaires show that information about CSO Forum was disseminated in at least 9 countries. Some examples:The Gambia- documents shared with 64 member organizations, 15 media houses and all staff members of coalitionNiger and Burkina Faso- they did a workshop for network members on what they learned at the CSO Forum Information sharing

  11. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Senegal- Some of the recommendations from the CSO Forum were integrated into their 2010 Plan of Action; they shared informationto member organizations, journalists, and government programs involvedin child protection Zambia- Presented at two networks and the Zambian Parliamentary Caucus- reach: 28 organizations, 55 individualsKenya- Held sensitization workshops on the Forum for children; at Regional Juvenile Justice and Pro-Bono Lawyers Conference; att the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, national Forum on the ACRWCMali- a day of advocacy on the recommendations especially vis a vis the report they submitted to the ACERWC Information sharing

  12. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child In contact with ACERWC members • Organizations in: • Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau and Kenya have contacted Committee members • but MOST responded that they had NOT been in touch with ACERWC members

  13. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Training on the ACRWC • A lot of training has been carried out in:

  14. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Training on the ACRWC • Numbers: hard to estimate- 8,838 people (according to the questionnaires) • Targeting: children, child rights club leaders, area development committee members, Ministry of Education District Resource Center Coordinators, local authorities, hospital staff, area advisory councils, child protection committees, teachers, NGO staff, journalists, training of trainers, parliamentarians, Children’s Departments in countries, traditional elders, religious leaders, primary school teachers, national coalitions, academic institutions

  15. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Awareness raising on the ACRWC • Awareness raising is done in almost all countries. • How? • Public forums, Day of the African Child, radio, public gatherings (chief’s meetings, church congregations, funerals), ACRWC printed and shared, talking to other NGOs, publications, public campaigns, to Parliamentarians, national children’s conference, child-friendly IEC materials, community dialogue, through media, etc.

  16. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Commenting on the ACERWC draft Plan of Action • Most organizations said they did input into the Plan of Action, either at other Forums or through e-mail.

  17. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Joint monitoring mechanisms in place in country • Guinea-Bissau • Niger • Kenya (contradictory information) • Burkina Faso • Any more?

  18. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Those of us involved in national-level law reform • Zambia • Guinea- bissau • Niger • Kenya • Zanzibar • Tanzania • Sudan • Swaziland • Namibia • Liberia • Cameroon • Any more?

  19. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Action points from the last Forum • Coordinate efforts to raise awareness on the theme of the Day of the African Child • Don’t have information about that- may need to wait until next time to collect it. • Create a liaison unit which will link CSOs with the ACERWC. • The responsibilities would include but not be limited to: • Create a website where all information can be found or uploaded (perhaps in collaboration with CRIN) • To act as the link between CSOs, the ACERWC, the Committee Secretariat and the AU (for example, concerning alternative and complementary reports) • To organize the CSO Forums • To share information about alternative reporting, state reporting and activities linked to them • To publicize the important meetings, including when and where they are going to take place and how to get involved The organizing committee has developed information on the liaison unit that will be presented and decided upon at this meeting- after that we will have to determine the next steps.

  20. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Action points from the last Forum • Provide joint trainings on the ACRWC • This has been done somewhat, as questionnaires show. • To identify a platform in which African CSOs can express their concerns and experiences working on child rights • The regular organizing of the Forum should enable this. • Share the contact of all the participants • Shared in the last Forum report to all participants. • To draft a letter to all donor countries, including foreign missions in Addis Ababa on the importance of including ACERWC in their support to the AU • Not done.

  21. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Action points from the last Forum • To liaise with ECOSOCC to put child rights on their agenda and to invite ECOSOCC to the next CSO Forum • We have been discussing with the Social Affairs cluster of ECOSOCC, civil society invited to ECOSOCC Peace and Security Cluster meeting and presented child rights, ECOSOCC has asked Save the Children and Oxfam to train cluster leads on engagement with the various AU organs and institutions. • ECOSOCC was not, however, invited to the CSO Forum. • To draft recommendations on behalf of the forum to the 14th Session of the ACERWC • Recommendations have been presented at the 14th session and they were included in the official report of the session • Invite the AU Parliament to the next CSO Forum • Done

  22. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Action points from the last Forum • Ensure that the issue of child budgeting is explored in subsequent Forums (and nationally in relation to the Day of the African Child) • Done- it will be explored at this Forum Ensure corporal punishment as well as other forms of violence against children is an issue to be explored in one of the subsequent CSO Forums. Because we want to devote sufficient time, this issue was postponed for the next Forum- but will be on the agenda for the next one. Ensure that harmful social and cultural norms and traditions are explored in subsequent CSO Forums This will be explored in the next Forum as well. Develop formal structures to link CSOs nationally, building on the coalitions and networks that already exist, to the CSO Forum This will be done in the liaison unit of which the draft by-laws are being presented.

  23. 3rd Forum on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Thank you! • Thank you • To connect coalitions at a sub-regional level. • Regional trainings and workshops • Niger took the opportunity of the Day of the African Child to monitor and explore the budget of Niger and see how much money is actually spent on children, • The Forum is a way to keep the momentum going between organizations. There is a lot of e-mail contact between members. • Need information to be coordinated and structured mechanism for communicating. • Indicator: ask how many NGOs are using the complaints mechanisms.

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