By Samsideen Ceesay
The Directorate of Children’s Affairs under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare on Friday, 16th December 2022, validated the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CR) list of issues prior to submission of The Gambia’s combined 4th to 7th periodic reports on the implementation of the UN CRC held at NaNA Conference room in Kanifing.
Funded by UNICEF, the objective of the forum was to thoroughly validate the reports on the CRC and make recommendations that would create conducive environment that would address child protection issues.
Speaking at the event, the Director of Children’s Affairs at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Madam Bintou HK Fatty said the Government will continue to work together with partner institutions to ensure that the socio-economic rights of children as enshrined in the constitution, including the right to education, health care and support, become a reality.
“I, therefore, urge all of you to continue to work together in building synergies, complementarity and partnership in creating a better child protection space for child welfare and development in the country,’’ she said.
She pointed out that commitment and decisive actions at the highest level of government brings about change in the lives of children and young people in Africa.
“If we put preventative measures against children at the centre of our development agenda; be it law enforcement, the programme we design, or the services we provide, change will come, and will come more quickly in the lives and livelihoods of children in the country,’’ she noted.
Fallou Sowe, the national coordinator, Network against Gender Based Violence (NGBV), affirmed that the occasion was meant to review the gaps and challenges on the issues around the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The validation exercise was to equip stakeholders with relevant information on UN CRC as well as enhance their understanding on child protection in the periodic report.
Ame Esangbedo Roberts, Policy Specialist, UNICEF, said the validation of the report was timely, noting that the exercise would enable stakeholders to review the existing gaps on the CRC implementation, noting that the rights of the children should be protected at all levels.
