Law Culture Tradition And Children S Rights In Eastern And Southern Africa

The fact that the Convention on the Rights of The Child is the most widely ratified international treaty on human rights suggests not only a large degree of international normative consensus on the content of children's rights, but also a high level of resolve and commitment among states to ensure that each child receives appropriate nurturing and protection within the framework of the minimum standards set by the Convention.

This collection is anchored in an African conception of children's rights and the law, and reflects contemporary discourses taking place in the region of the children's rights sphere. The majority of contributors are African and adopt an individual approach to their topic which reflects their first-hand experience. The book focuses on child rights issues which have particular resonance on the continent and the chapters span themes which are both broad and narrow, containing subject matter which is both theoretical and illuminated by practice. The book profiles recent developments and experiences in furthering children's legal rights in the African context, and distils from these future trends the specific role that the law can play in the African children's rights environment.

The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child: A socio-legal perspectiveby Thoko Kaime2009ISBN: 978-0-9814420-4-4Pages: xii 247Print version: AvailableElectronic version: Free PDF available.

The United Nations 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) constitutes a landmark in the development of international human rights law and reflects an historic turn in universal thinking about children and their rights. Many children in Africa today face the future with a deep sense of uncertainty and foreboding. Many have no hope of education and the issues of child trafficking, sexual exploitation and child labour reflect a profound crisis of the family. The current socio-economic situation has radically changed the world views and the life expectations of the African child. This book attempts to respond to some of the questions that could be asked: to what extent have the provisions of the CRC been implemented in the national legislations of African States? What effect have they had on children in Africa? What mechanisms exist to prevent and sanction rights abusers? Are children's rights in Africa reality, or simply rhetoric?

This volume constitutes a commentary on Article 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is part of the series, "A Commentary on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child," which provides an article by article analysis of all substantive, organizational and procedural provisions of the CRC and its two Optional Protocols. For every article, a comparison with related human rights provisions is made, followed by an in-depth exploration of the nature and scope of State obligations deriving from that article. The series constitutes an essential tool for actors in the field of children's rights, including academics, students, judges, grassroots workers, governmental, non- governmental and international officers. The series is sponsored by the "Belgian Federal Science Policy Office,"

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which was adopted unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989, marked a turning point in the perception of children in international law and policy. Although it was hoped that the Convention would have a significant and positive impact on the lives of all children, this has not happened in many parts of the world. This edited volume, based on empirical research and Non-Governmental Organisation project data, explores the progress of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and to a lesser extent, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, in nine African countries in the 25 years since it was adopted by the UN General Assembly. The book considers the implementation of the Convention both in terms of policy and practice, and its impact on the lived experiences of children in societies across the continent, focusing on specific themes such as HIV/AIDS, education and disability, child labour, witchcraft stigmatisation, street children, parent-child relationships and child participation. The book breaks new ground in blending legal and social perspectives of the experiences of children, and identifies concrete ways forward for the better implementation of the CRC treaty in the various political contexts that exist in Africa.