On 21-22 June 2017, the African Child Policy Forum and Better Care Network - with the support of Catholic Relief Services, Family for Every Child, Hope and Homes for Children and Save the Children - convened 40 leaders representing child rights bodies, regional economic communities, national governments and civil society in Nairobi, Kenya for the Africa Expert Consultation: Violence Against Children in All Care Settings. The Africa Expert Consultation is the second in a series of regional expert consultations focused on understanding the links between violence against children within all care settings, especially within alternative care. The Expert Consultation built upon global and regional progress on eliminating violence against children and establishing systems that provide appropriate care for children in line with international standards.
The Expert Consultation was designed to highlight information within three areas: 1) violence against children within the family, including as a push factor for family separation and subsequent placement in alternative care; 2) violence against children within different forms of alternative care; and 3) violence against children after they leave care.
The expert consultation in Africa had two key objectives:
- Engage the African Union (AU) and other regional intergovernmental and treaty bodies, national governments, civil society and other experts on violence against children and alternative care to formulate key regional recommendations targeting: the African Union, other regional bodies, national governments and other key actors involved in the elimination of violence against children and the implementation of the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children.
- Prompt the establishment of an effective Africa-focused and based working group to follow up with a concrete action plan in Africa to fully implement the recommendations of the UN Study on Violence against Children and the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children in relation to the prevention and elimination of violence, especially in care situations.
Key Documents
- Conference Declaration, Preventing and Responding to Violence against Children in All Care Settings in Africa: A Call to Action
- Final Report of the Africa Expert Consultation: Violence Against Children in All Care Settings
- Annex to the Final Report, compiling each of the presentations delivered at the conference
Presentations from the 21-22 Africa Expert Consultation included:
Day 1:
- Keynote Address by SRSG Marta Santos Pais
- Keynote Address by Ruth Wacuka, Kenya Society of Careleavers
- Opening Remarks by Mr. Noah Sanganyi, the Director of Children's Services, Kenya
- Social Protection as a Means of Preventing Family Separation
- VAC in Residential Care in Africa
- Key Findings Related to VAC in Kinship Care in East Africa
- Child abuse prevention through parenting programmes
- Status of INSPIRE Implementation in Uganda
- Care Reform within Ghana’s Child Protection system
- VAC and Alternative care in refugee settings
- Trafficking into alternative care
- Strengthening the care workforce in how to prevent and respond to VAC and care
- Child Marriage and Violence against Children
Day 2:
- Ending VAC in All Care Settings: Global developments, persisting challenges and how the African region can advance progress
- Minimum Standards on Comprehensive Services for Children and Young People in the East African Community
- Strengthening the Social Welfare Workforce to address Violence against Children in care
In the News & Media
- Violence against Children in All Care Settings: Africa Expert Consultation, Annlyne Barbara Oranga - Mtoto News
