Case study – African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC)

The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) was adopted by the African Union (formerly the OAU) in 1990, and came into force in 1999.The African Children’s Charter is the first regional treaty dedicated to child rights and like the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), it sets out rights and defines universal principles and norms for the status of children. This case study is about the importance of supporting civil society to move children’s rights further up the African political agenda. To this end, Save the Children cooperates with African civil society to influence the African Union as well as its member states to prioritise children’s rights. Save the Children also contributes to improved knowledge of children’s rights and the African Children’s Charter and works to close the gap between the rights stipulated in the Charter and governments’ fulfillment of children’s rights at country level.