A look at the drafting
history of the world's most widely-ratified human rights treaty in the world,
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, indicates that
African countries were not proportionally represented in its creation. Although
some feared their exclusion would prevent the universal acceptance of the
treaty, African nations were strongly represented among early ratifiers. At the
same time, African leaders criticized the treaty for failing to consider
African cultural values (such as that children have concurrent
responsibilities) and issues, such as apartheid, child marriage, child labor,
child trafficking, children in armed conflict, and harmful cultural practices. African nations converted this criticism into
the first regional children’s treaty, the African Charter on the Rights and
Welfare of the Child. Africa also is home to the Republic of South Africa, which
was the first country to include many principles of both treaties in the
nation’s constitution. Despite this leadership, the consequences of colonial
occupation has led to a perception that children’s rights are not respected in
many areas, including gender discrimination, education, economic security, and
more. This program will examine both the children's rights legal framework
constructed in Africa as well as consider the effectiveness of its
implementation.
Business
meeting at program conclusion.