01 February, 2021 (232News)
By Mariama B. Bah
FREETOWN – Defense for Children International has organized Regional Meeting for Defense for Children Sections in Africa with the theme, “Accelerating the Fulfilment of access to Justice for Children in Africa.”
The meeting started from the 27th to 28th January 2021.
The event attracted humanitarian experts from different country in order to discuss the advancing Children Rights in the Africa Region: DCI Sections discuss good practices and lessons learnt from current strategic framework 2017- 2021 and planning the future of movement.
DCI sections also discussed about their future priorities for new strategic framework 2022 to 2026 among others.
President Defence for Children Abdul M. Kemokai said that one of the areas of their expertise for which they are an international movement is really to contribute to setting global standard for children’s right.
DCI was one of the drafters of United Nations convention of the right of a child which has been adopted by nearly every country in the world and apart from the UN convention, DCI has been part of drafting of many other International and regional instruments.
He noted that DCI works directly with the international mechanism in Geneva and the entire UN system and that they have the various departments dealing with different issues as DCI is always doing advocacy like asking for more and drafting or adopting the UN convention of the right of child is not enough.
He explained that there are countries who still have a lot to do and they need a lot more guidelines to understand what they really need to do and there are lots of additional protocols as well as guidelines that have been developed.
He explained that the DCI movement child safeguarding policy and principles set a standard for all National sections and the international secretariat in Geneva in order to safeguard children with whom DCI has direct or indirect contact.
Executive Director, Alex Kamarotos said that DCI is a leading child rights independent international organization and a membership based grassroots movement founded in 1979, the first international year of the child.
DCI promotes the human rights of children at the local, national, regional and international levels, in accordance with international standards as set out in its statutes.
He noted that as set out in Article 10 of the statutes National sections are legally and financially independent from the international organization and the movement as a whole.
At the same time, each National sections whilst abiding by the requirements of respective national legislation must comply with principles, guidelines, objectives and policies established by the movement of DCI.
He added that they recognized that violence is a global epidemic and an unfortunate daily reality for millions of children.
Representative from the United Nations Sierra Leone Marbey Sartie said that DCI is a family globally and DCI is not regarded as traditional, non- governmental organization but it a movement that has kept the spirit of familyhood and that is why DCI is always leading in the protection of children because the best place of a child is in the family.
