BABY STEPS: DEVELOPMENTS AT THE AFRICAN COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE CHILD (2013-2014)

Abstract

As the regional treaty body for the rights of children in Africa, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Children’s Committee) has the mandate to hold states parties to the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Children’s Charter) to account on how they implement the provisions of this treaty.1 Even though article 13 of the African Children’s Charter gives specific recognition to the rights of children with disabilities in Africa, the other provisions of this treaty apply equally to children with or without disabilities. The 2013 volume of the African Disability Rights Yearbook, contained an article on a specific activity related to the 2012 Day of the African Child2 theme, which was focused on the rights of children with disabilities.3 This update will focus on activities undertaken by the African Children’s Committee during 2013 and up to June 2014 that relate to the promotion, protection and realisation of the rights of children with disabilities in Africa. The substantive provisions and mandate of the African Children’s Committee were discussed in the 2013 volume of the African Disability Rights Yearbook and will not be repeated in this update. This update will thus focus on two important aspects of the implementation of the African Children’s Committee’s mandate during 2013-2014, which are the ordinary sessions and states parties reports and a strategy for promoting the rights of children with disabilities in Africa.