ECOWAS radio and partners celebrate the Day of the African Child-DAC in Liberia
ECOWAS Regional Radio, in partnership with Bridge Liberia, a social enterprise that is working with the government through the Ministry of Education by providing technical support to over 300 public primary schools across the country, UNICEF Liberia, Action-Aid, and Youth Media Action, celebrated this year’s Day of the African Child on 16 June 2023.
Celebrated under the theme: The Rights of the Child in the Digital Environment, the Regional Radio hosted about 50 children who raised awareness on the promotion and protection of children’s rights in the digital environment and challenged Member States and other relevant stakeholders to make commitments towards the realization of children’s rights in the digital environment.
In raising awareness on children’s rights in the digital environment, the discussions led by the young children throughout the day, placed emphasis on Article four of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty of 1993 which guarantees the fundamental principles of human rights in accordance with provisions of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, alongside the ECOWAS Child Policy which fully recognizes and integrates the targets set out in the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals-SDGs.
Various thematic areas highlighted the roles and responsibilities of children, parents, stakeholders and service providers in the thriving digital age, including education, health and community engagements to reinforce the protection of children from vices such as cyberbullying, child pornography and sexual exploitation among others.
Guests featured live comprised government officials, with specific reference to the office of the First Lady of the Republic of Liberia, representatives from diplomatic missions accredited near Monrovia and women’s groups, civil society actors and youth ambassadors, who also participated in the official program held on the premises of the ECOWAS Radio compound.
The Day of the African Child-DAC, held annually in honor of those who participated in the Soweto uprising in 1976, was established on 16th June by the then Organization of African Unity, now the African Union and is aimed at raising awareness on the situation of children in Africa and the rights of African children, as stipulated under Article II to XXII of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.-Press release
