The African report on child wellbeing 2008 – How child-friendly are African governments?

Child wellbeing means a lot of things. It is about children being safe, well, healthy and happy. It is about children’s opportunities to grow and to learn. It is about positive personal and social relationships, and about being and feeling secure and respected. It is also about being given a voice and being heard. In short, it is about the full and harmonious development of each child’s personality, skills and talents. This report is the first of a series that The African Child Policy Forum (ACPF) intends to publish biennially to provide critical policy-oriented information and analysis and to engage governments. The report provides an insight into the wellbeing of children and assesses the extent to which African governments meet their obligations, through a ground-breaking Child-friendliness Index developed by ACPF. This index can be a useful tool of advocacy for national civil society groups, regional bodies and global organisations.