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21 Dec 2011 • Child protection systems Togo, Benin and Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Guinea

Which protection for children involved in mobility in West Africa?

- Published by Darcissac, Marion

2926_uest_mobilit_2011_original_embed «Which protection for children involved in mobility in West Africa?» is a new publication which analyses and documents the mobility of youth and children in West and Central Africa.

Written by Olivier Feneyrol, child protection consultant, it documents a two years research project put in place jointly by 8 agencies: Enda, ILO, IOM, MAEJT, Plan, Save the Children, Terre des hommes and Unicef. The project was supported by Oak and Jacobs Foundations.

Children on the move were the main actors of the research conducted in four countries, i.e. Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Togo. The aim behind was to study the various forms of child mobility and their consequences on child protection, from the perspective of formal actors as well as communities and children concerned. Whilst demonstrating that mobility can be positive for the child, the publication identifies also a high level of vulnerability of these children. The document ends with a set of recommendations from State and non-State actors,at national and regional level.

The publication is currently available in French with a summary translation in English. The full English translation will be available soon.


First results from Guinea

In Guinea, the national committee for the “Mobility” project organised an event for the handing over of this publication. The Ministry for the Administration of the territory and for public decentralisation, the Ministry for Social Affairs, the Ministry for Alphabetisation and national languages, the Secretary General of the Ministry for Youth and representatives from the Ministry of Communications lent an attentive ear to the seven positions of the platform.

Two main recommendations for the States were addressed to them: integration of the “mobility” dimension in the national policy paper on child protection, and taking into account the specific needs of children affected by early mobility in the systems for child protection.

Some fifty participants were present at this event, including representatives of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the National Committee for running the mobility project in Guinea, representatives from international and national organisations, the President of the Youth Parliament, and journalists.