In the Best Interests of the Child: Harmonising Laws in Eastern and Southern Africa
The African Child Policy Forum has released a report and several related papers about the successes and challenges of bringing national laws into full compliance with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter.
The CRC has been ratified by 193 States. Ratification requires States to undertake all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures to implement children's rights as recognised in the CRC (Article 4). Many state parties start the process of implementation by taking legislative measures to harmonise existing laws with the principles and provisions of the CRC.
Due to the lack of systematic surveys, there is very little comparative information on the harmonisation efforts of State parties to the CRC. The African Child Policy Forum (ACPF)’s study covers nineteen African countries that have all ratified the CRC and provides valuable information on the legislative measures taken by these countries for the implementation of the CRC, as requested in Article 4. It shows the progress made, as well as identifying the difficulties encountered and the remaining challenges.
Harmonisation of National Laws with the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Some observations and suggestions