Four Sub-regional States Unite To Shield Children From Rising Threats

By: Isatou Sarr

Four West African nations have joined forces in an unprecedented regional initiative to combat growing threats against children, from drug-related violence to climate change impacts that are reshaping childhood across the continent.

Participants at the child rights meeting were drawn from The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and Senegal.

The Child Rights Regional Ministerial Forum brought together key stakeholders to forge stronger interventions for protecting children’s rights and welfare throughout the region, marking a significant shift toward coordinated cross-border child protection efforts.

Mr. Morris Anyim from RAO Gambia highlighted the critical nature of this ministerial gathering, which united beneficiary countries of the PAPEV project, an initiative supporting child victims of drug violations launched by his office to advance children’s rights across West Africa.

“In collaboration with ECOWAS through its Gender Development Centre, we organized the first Pandit Forum to explore improved regional partnerships in realizing children’s rights, as outlined in ECOWAS’ Regional Child Protection Strategy Guidelines,” Anyim explained.

According to him, the 2022 summit proved pivotal in shaping current strategies. “I can attest that the work from this meeting strongly influenced the second phase directions we’re now implementing in The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and Senegal,” he said.

Anyim emphasized the urgent need for enhanced cooperation: “We must mobilize efforts to strengthen regional collaboration and better address challenges our countries face in building effective national child protection systems.”

Honourable Bubacarr Sowe, Speaker of The Gambia’s Children’s Assembly, acknowledged remarkable government progress in child protection and empowerment. Key achievements include expanded school construction, ensuring children no longer walk excessive distances for education, and successful prosecution of FGM and gender-based violence perpetrators, demonstrating a firm commitment to protecting women and girls.

Sowe praised several ground-breaking initiatives: the Gambia-Madrasa Integration Strategy 2025-2029, integrating traditional Islamic and conventional education systems into the national framework; the National Gender Policy 2025-2034, promoting gender equality while strengthening child protection mechanisms; and the Million Ministerial Town Hall meeting with children, organized with UNICEF, creating vital platforms for youth-policymaker engagement at SDKJ-ICC.

Sowe presented the Children’s Call to Action to the Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Welfare, representing all Gambian children. “This document embodies our collective voice, a roadmap calling on government and stakeholders to uphold commitments under the Children’s Act 2005, Women’s Act 2010, Persons with Disabilities Act 2021, and international instruments including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.”

Professor Amsatou Sowe Sidibe, Vice President of the West Africa Regional Network of National Human Rights Institutions, noted PAPEV’s transformative impact across participating states on political, legal, and programmatic levels.

“PAPEV provides a powerful opportunity to mobilize key actors. This cooperation enables us to harmonize approaches for superior child care,” she concluded.

The forum represents a watershed moment in regional child protection efforts, as West African nations recognize that safeguarding their youngest citizens requires coordinated, cross-border strategies addressing 21st-century challenges.

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 By: Isatou Sarr Four West African nations have joined forces in an unprecedented regional initiative to combat growing threats against…
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