The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child: A Commentary

Sloth-Nielsen, Julia, (ed. with Elvis Fokala and Godfrey Odongo) The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child: A Commentary (PULP, 2024)

Since its adoption in July 1990 and entry into force in November 1999, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Children’s Charter), has become a key treaty within the African human rights system, governing children’s rights in Africa. To date, 51 out of 55 African Union member states have ratified the African Children’s Charter, which demonstrates a growing commitment to respect, protect and promote the rights of children.

There is no doubt that the Charter, since entering into force, has significantly contributed to the development of standards and practice related to children in Africa. This comprehensive commentary on the African Children’s Charter, the first of its kind, provides a systematic analysis of each article of the Charter, tracing the origin of the rights, highlighting and explaining unique African concepts and normative standards featured in the Charter. The Commentary aims to be a ‘one-stop-shop’ for anyone interested in protecting and promoting children’s rights in Africa, such as researchers, teachers, students, practitioners, policy-makers and activists. Authored by an array of contributors steeped in African jurisprudence and human rights values, comprising 38 discrete chapters, it constitutes an essential and contemporary guide to the legal understanding of the various provisions the Charter provides for.

It is edited by three African scholars prominent in the field of children’s rights in Africa, Prof Julia Sloth-Nielsen, Prof Elvis Fokala and Dr Godfrey Odongo. This Commentary is the second in the PULP series of Commentaries on African human rights law.