ACCELERATE NO VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN & YOUTH

SUMMARY OF CONCEPT

CONTINENTAL CAMPAIGN

TO ACCELERATE NO VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN & YOUTH

 

Rationale for
Campaign

• There is need to build a ground
  swell of action to accelerate the momentum generated on issues related to
  Violence Against Children at the beginning of 2008 and for the remaining
  events in 2008. These are as follows:

 

- The special session on Gender
Based Violence (GBV) African First Ladies Against   

  HIV and
AIDS (OAFLA) held in January, on the occasion of the 10th
Session of the

  AU Assembly
of the Heads of States. This ended with resolve to promote 365 Days of

  No
Violence against children and women including abandonment of FGM.

 

- The Second Pan-African Colloquium on
Gender Based Violence held in February,

   2008
with participation of over 300 participants representing all regions of Africa and

   all
53 countries and ending with a call to accelerate implementation of action
plans to

   end
GBV and Violence against children and women in Africa.

 

• It has
  been 8 years since the introduction of the African Charter on the Rights
  and Welfare of the Child yet there are still 10 countries that have not
  ratified the ACRWC. Similarly since the development of the African Youth
  Charter in 2006 only 15 countries have signed and only 4 have ratified.

 

• The
  African Youth Charter calls on African countries to develop a concrete
  action plan by 2008 to deliver on their obligations under the
  International Conventions (ie. CEDAW) and African agreements such as the
  2004 Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality.

 

• The UN
  Security Council Resolutions of 2004 based on the Graca Machel Study have
  outlined standards of compliance for states against recruiting and using
  child soldiers and these need to be more widely publicized and reiterated.

 

Principles, Concept
and Focus of the Campaign

 

Coordinating Children
and Youth to Unite for Africa

The Campaign will mobilize all organizations, groups and
networks involving both children and youth and facilitate them to lead and
contribute to the campaign and use all relevant advocacy days including 1) the
Day of the African Child to launch the campaign and 2) the Day of the African
Youth as the climax.

 

Advocacy for Charter
Ratification as a Minimum Commitment

The Campaign will advocate for formal ratification of the
African Charter for the Rights and Welfare of African Children and the African
Youth Charter Charters as well as the domestication of the charters through development
or review of associated National Plans of Action.

 

 

 

Amplifying
Children & Youth Voices for Awareness Raising

The campaign will be designed to amplify the voices of
children and youth across the continent through 1) face to face consultation,
2) advocacy events 3) mass media 4) Speakafrica.org

 

Focus on Extreme and
Routine Violence and Gender Dimension of Violence

The Campaign will focus on the issues of children and youth
as victims of both extreme forms of
violence including sexual exploitation and trafficking, female genital
cutting, the worst forms of child labour and the impact of armed conflict and the routine exposure to physical,
sexual and psychological violence in their homes, schools, care and justice
institutions, the places they work and their communities.

 

Specific Objectives

 

The specific objectives of the campaign are to:

 

1)     
Raise public and political awareness of the African
Charter on the Rights and Welfare of African Children and the African Youth
Charter and advocate for the signing and ratification of these.

 

2)     
Raise awareness on areas of inconsistency of
national laws and policies with international and continental conventions,
advocate for necessary amendments and development of Country Action Plans to
prevent and respond to violence against children and youth.

(A summary of CRC Committee
Concluding Observations for each country is being

 prepared and will be posted on the website as
a way of giving visibility to country

 specific areas related to Violence that need
to be addressed).

 

3)     
Capture and amplify children/youth views and
ideas to address issues of violence as messages for advocacy and as possible
inputs for the development of Country Action Plans.

 

4)     
To document through print, radio and TV stories
of innovative and successful interventions on violence prevention, conflict
resolution and peace keeping and facilitate dissemination at both country and
continental level on all mass media platforms and packaged for use at community
level.

 

Proposed Campaign
Activities

 

1. Development of Child Friendly Information
   Pack on African Union key Children and Youth & Advocacy Resource
   Package

 

1. Sensitization & Mobilization of
   Children/Youth Organizations, NGO & UN agencies

 

1. Pan-African
   Launch of the Campaign during  Day
   of the African Child

 

1. Alignment with National Committees on
   DAC or other cross-sector committees to mobilize participation in the
   Campaign
2. Virtual
   discussion on issues of violence launched at DAC and continuing until Day
   of African Youth

 

1. On-Line
   Survey on Violence Against Children and Youth

 

1. Speak Africa Advocacy Camp with Youth Media Practitioners
   and Spokespersons

 

1. Talent
   Competition With Focus on Advocacy on No Violence

 

1. Round
   Table Media Fora with Key Persons Working on Violence Prevention

 

1. Advocacy
   on Charter Ratification at Heads of State Summit
   - Egypt  July

During the opening of the Summit, an envelope could
be placed on the table of each state. In it would be a green card for those who
have ratified, yellow for those who have signed but yet to ratify and red for
those who have not signed not ratified. 
A brief explanation would be included at the back of each card. The purpose
would be to generate a debate at the highest level of government on
ratification and popularization of these charters. (strategy
to be further discussed with the AU).

 

1. National
   Consultations on Violence
   Against Children and Youth to discuss issues and begin development of
   plans of action to be held prior to
   Meeting of Ministers of Social Affairs - September

 

1. African
   Development Forum  (ADF V1) focused on Violence against Women and Children

 

1. Campaign
   Climax on week leading up to Day of the African Youth (last week of October) to develop "Maputo No
   Violence Against Children and Youth Declaration" culminating in Speak Africa - Umoja Concert in
   Mozambique - November 1

 

1. 16 Days
   of Non Violence Against Women and Children

 

1. Human
   Rights Day - December 10

On the
occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, the pan-african event will be used by Speak Africa partners including
children/youth to present a report on the status of countries ratification of
the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of Children and the African Youth
Charter as well as the preparation of Country Plans of Action

 

        16.Campaign and Year of the Youth Evaluation - January 2009 

In January 2009 Speak Africa
partners will undertake an evaluation of the Speak Africa Campaign and Year of
the Youth Plan of Action (possibly through on-line inputs). The report will be presented at 2009 African Union Ministers of
Youth Meeting by a small group of children and youth in collaboration with UN
agencies and NGOs. After the evaluation in January 2009, Speak Africa partners will select a
new area for joint advocacy and replicate successful strategies and joint
activities for another campaign.