On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), the African Child Policy Forum (ACPF) has launched videos and publications to celebrate this.
The Charter was adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity in July 1990, and entered into force in November, 1999. Three decades after its adoption, 49 countries have already ratified this instrument. The ACPF has released a report evaluating the progress regarding children’s rights in Africa in these three decades, titled ‘Africa’s 30-year Journey with the African Children’s Charter: Taking Stock, Rekindling Commitment’, which aims to rekindle regional and national commitment to child rights and wellbeing in the continent. Moreover, the ACPF has launched a webpage dedicated to the Charter where they have released a series of videos complementing this publication, which feature the participation of a number of specialists in the field.
The Charter covers a wide range of rights and obligations set out in an innovative and progressive way, reflecting in an appropriate manner the African reality for better progress concerning the rights of the child in Africa. Furthermore, it should be emphasised that this document has been a noted force behind the transformation of African public and political discourse on the rights of the child, promoting a series of advancements in continental efforts and in national laws and policies, thus catalysing a change towards a culture in which children have become visible in discourses on human rights, politics, and development throughout the continent.