This Guide is intended to be a comprehensive resource for finding out more about the Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. It provides practical information for organisations wishing to engage with the Committee but also relevant background information to ensure that this engagement is put into context. As such it is designed to be used by organisations who already use and know the Charter but want specific information about how to engage with the Committee by, for example, finding out about the procedure for submitting a communication; it can also be used by organisations new to the Charter and the Committee who are interested in reading about its history and background.
The Guide is split into six Parts:
• Part One is an introduction to the Guide.
• Part Two gives an overview of the history and content of the ACRWC and looks at how it relates to the CRC. It also considers the Committee’s mandate, its members and its achievements so far.
• Part Three is the most practical section and examines how civil society can access and use the Committee to advance children’s rights in Africa.
• Part Four looks at how the Committee fits into the structures of the African Union (AU).
• Part Five provides sources of further information.
• Part Six consists of nine annexes including a ratification table for the Children’s Charter, biographies of current Committee members, the full text of the Charter and six of the Committee’s working documents.
This training manual explores the origins of the African regional human rights mechanisms. It elaborates the normative framework and rights recognised in the regional human rights treaties in the region. It also focuses on how to use these monitoring and enforcement mechanisms and some of the challenges faced in doing so. This is a learning tool for human rights defenders, and especially trainers from the region interested in conducting training on human rights. With a focus also on civil society engagement in the regional human rights mechanisms, the publication provides useful insights at a practical level. The publication will enhance your knowledge on African regional human rights mechanisms.