SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This book looks at the protection of children’s rights in Africa through an examination of the provisions of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. It investigates the specific question whether the African Children’s Charter provides a culturally appropriate framework for the protection and promotion of children’s rights in Africa. In examining this question, the book argues that the effective protection of the rights of the child in Africa will not be achieved unless the substantive protections are perceived as culturally legitimate by local communities and unless the implementation procedures are aimed at enhancing such legitimacy as opposed to merely ensuring adherence to form.