(last updated August 7, 2026)

Introduction

The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) is the African Union (AU) treaty body responsible for promoting and protecting the rights contained in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Children’s Charter or ACRWC). The African Children’s Charter was adopted on July 11, 1990 by the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the predecessor of the African Union. The Charter entered into force on November 29, 1999. It is the principal regional treaty on children’s rights in Africa and addresses issues of particular importance to children on the continent, including non-discrimination, the best interest of the child, survival and development, child participation, education, health, protection from harmful practices, protection in armed conflict, juvenile justice, and the responsibilities of parents, families, communities, and States. As of June 2026, 52 of the AU’s 55 Member States have ratified the African Children’s Charter. The three AU Member States that have not ratified this Charter are Morocco, South Sudan, and Tunisia.

Until December 2020, the ACERWC had been based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, but it relocated its headquarters to Maseru, Lesotho following an agreement between the AU and Lesotho. The ACERWC generally holds biannual ordinary sessions at its headquarters and may convene extraordinary sessions when necessary. Its core functions include promoting and protecting children’s rights, monitoring implementation of the Charter, and developing guidance for governments on how to better comply with their obligations under the Charter. Some of the Committee’s principal activities include evaluating State reports and complementary reports from civil society, and considering complaints regarding rights violations and requests for investigations. The ACERWC also leads regional initiatives such as the annual commemoration of the Day of the African Child, and Agenda 2040: Africa’s Agenda for Children.

Composition

Article 33 of the African Children’s Charter establishes that the ACERWC shall be composed of 11 independent experts “of high moral standing, integrity, impartiality, and competence in matters concerning the rights and welfare of the child.” Members are elected from candidates nominated by States parties but serve in their personal capacity, rather than as representatives of their home States. In electing members, consideration is given to equitable geographical and gender representation. Members serve five-year terms and are eligible to be re-elected once.

ACERWC members are lead by a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, and a Rapporteur. These positions make up the Bureau of the Committee, and the members holding these three leadership positions are in charge of coordinating the ACERWC’s work and supervising the work of the Secretariat. The Secretariat, in turn, consists of professional, technical, or administrative staff tasked with supporting the work of the Committee members. Information on the ACERWC’s current members, Bureau, Secretariat, sessions, reports, communications, and working documents is available on the ACERWC’s official website.

Periodic State Reporting

States parties to the African Children’s Charter are required to report regularly to the ACERWC on the measures they have adopted to implement the Charter. Initial reports are due two years after ratification, and periodic reports are due every three years thereafter. The reporting process allows the ACERWC to review national laws, policies, institutions, budgets, programmes, and practices affecting children’s rights.

In considering State reports, the ACERWC may prepare lists of issues, hold constructive dialogue with State delegations during its sessions, receive complementary reports from civil society organizations and other stakeholders, and issue concluding observations and recommendations. The ACERWC may also undertake follow-up activities, including follow-up missions, to assess implementation of its recommendations and encourage timely reporting.

Communications (Complaint) Procedure

The ACERWC may receive complaints, commonly referred to as “communications,” alleging violations of the African Children’s Charter. In accordance with Article 44 of the Charter, communications may be submitted by any person, group, or non-governmental organization recognized by the AU, a Member State, or the United Nations. The ACERWC’s communications guidelines further outline the procedure for submitting communications as well as the circumstances under which the Committee may accept a communication concerning violations occurring in States not parties to the Children’s Charter.

After receiving a communication, the ACERWC first conducts a preliminary review and considers the admissibility of the communication. Once a communication is deemed admissible, the Committee then considers the merits of the alleged violation. Upon determining that a violation of the Children’s Charter has occurred, the ACERWC may recommend remedies and request that the State concerned report on measures taken to implement those recommendations. The ACERWC monitors implementation through follow-up procedures, including implementation hearings, follow-up visits, reporting to the AU Executive Council, and the work of its mechanism on implementation of decisions.

Country visits, Investigations, and Promotional Work

The ACERWC may undertake country visits, including fact-finding, investigative, advocacy, and follow-up missions, to assess implementation of the African Children’s Charter and engage with governments and stakeholders. It also undertakes promotional activities, studies, consultations, training, and public engagement to strengthen awareness and implementation of children’s rights standards across Africa.

Norm Development and Agenda 2040

The ACERWC works to develop children’s rights standards on the continent by drafting general comments, guidelines, resolutions, studies, statements, and other publications. These materials assist States, national human rights institutions, courts, civil society organizations, academics, practitioners, and children’s rights advocates in interpreting and applying the African Children’s Charter. In 2015 the ACERWC also developed Agenda 2040: Africa’s Agenda for Children, a framework that identified priority areas for strengthening child-friendly laws, institutions, services, accountability, and participation across the continent during the following 25 years.

The ACERWC’s Special Mechanisms

Similarly to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the ACERWC has established special mechanisms to support its promotional and protective functions by giving sustained attention to priority thematic issues and emerging challenges affecting children’s rights in Africa, as well as to country-specific implementation of the Children’s Charter. These special mechanisms currently take three main forms: Thematic Rapporteurs, Country Rapporteurs, and Working Groups.

Thematic Rapporteurs

The ACERWC’s appoints each of its members to serve as a Special Rapporteur on a thematic area requiring focused attention. In their role as Special Rapporteurs members monitor developments relating to their thematic focus area, seeking and analyzing information, engaging States and stakeholders, conducting studies and missions, raising awareness, preparing reports, and supporting the development of guidelines, general comments, and other ACERWC publications.

The ACERWC’s current thematic Special Rapporteur mandates are:

• Special Rapporteur on Birth Registration and Nationality;
• Special Rapporteur on Child Justice;
• Special Rapporteur on Education;
• Special Rapporteur on Children without Parental Care;
• Special Rapporteur on Children on the Move;
• Special Rapporteur on Investment and Budgeting for Children;
• Special Rapporteur on Child Participation;
• Special Rapporteur on Child Marriage and Other Harmful Practices;
• Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Children;
• Special Rapporteur on Children in Conflict Situations; and
• Special Rapporteur on Health.

Country Rapporteurs

The ACERWC also appoints each of its eleven members to focus their attention on the human rights of children within the territories of specific States parties to the African Children’s Charter by serving as Country Rapporteurs. In their capacity as Country Rapporteurs, ACERWC members coordinate the Committee’s engagement with specific States and civil society organizations within those States, identifying issues of special concern, following up on previous recommendations from the Committee, and conducting country visits.

Working Groups

The ACERWC has also established Working Groups as special mechanisms to address specific thematic, procedural, and institutional priorities. Working Groups provide a structured way for the ACERWC to undertake focused studies, develop standards, facilitate procedures, engage stakeholders, support implementation, and respond to complex children’s rights issues requiring sustained attention.

The ACERWC’s Current Working Groups are:

• Working Group on Communications;
• Working Group on the Rights of Children with Disabilities;
• Working Group on Climate Change and Children’s Rights;
• Working Group on Business and Children’s Rights; and
• Working Group on Implementation of Decisions.

The Working Group on Communications is the most recently established Working Group. It was established on April 25, 2026 during the ACERWC’s 47th Ordinary Session. Its primary aim is to facilitate the ACERWC’s communications procedure, and it is composed of four members of the ACERWC.