In November 1999, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) was adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and entered into force in the same month. After 21 years of its adoption, 50 countries have ratified it.

The Charter has a long history. The devastation and suffering of the First World War saw the establishment of the League of Nations in the hope that the nations of the world would work together to achieve lasting peace. Various instruments of human rights were developed.3 It was clear that children had suffered greatly as a consequence of the war and its aftermath.

Pioneer child activist Eglantyne Jebb and others established the organisation ‘Save the Children’ in response to newspaper reports and photographs they had seen of children starving in defeated countries such as Germany and Austria, as Allied troops’ blockades would not allow safe passage for much needed food supplies.

Paper by CPLO