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Information:
The CPA which was established in Banjul on the 26th April
2001 is a nationwide grouping of almost 50 institutions focused
on the promotion and preservation of children's rights in
Gambia.
Programmes:
• Child Protection (Sexual Abuse; Commercial Sexual Exploitation,
Child Sex Tourism and Child Trafficking)
• HIV/AIDS
• Rights promotion & participation
• Violence against children
Background:
Prior to the formation of the CPA the important work of non-governmental
organisation charities advocating and protecting children's
rights was most often un-coordinated with little effect being
felt on the ground from various disparate efforts.
It had become apparent that even though The Gambia was a signatory
of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
(UNCRC) in 1990, the treaty was not properly promoted within
the general population. At the time the rights of the child
was not accorded due weight and featured fairly low on the
political landscape. National statutes which did deal with
children's welfare were quite varied and sometimes in conflict
with one and other and none and not one was in line with the
UN CRC.
Child protection was a novel idea with little knowledge about
it among community leaders and the professional class. Child
sexual abuse and youth exploitation were not well publicized
or well understood and little field work had been done in
the area.
As a result of the above the Child Protection Alliance of
Gambia was founded to fill the vacuum in child protection
and rights and to promote and sensitize people and increase
understanding of issues pertinent to children. It also lobbies
for adequate legislative changes to address issues of concern
and follow-up on their effectiveness.
The CPA also actively encourages the participation of children
on issues affecting them. To this end it created the a child
spearheaded advocacy group called the 'Voice Of The Young'
which acts as a forum for all children and uses peer counsellors.
It actively engages the media, politicians, policymakers as
well as promoting their rights in Gambian society.
The CPA is also engaged in awareness training and capacity
building for youth to make them less vulnerable to exploitation.
Participating Government Institutions:
• Ministry
of Health & Social Welfare
• Ministry
of Justice
• Ministry of Trade, Regional Integration & Employment
• Ministry
of Tourism & Culture
• Ministry For
Basic & Secondary Education
Participating Organisations:
• ActionAid International
The Gambia
• American Embassy (Human Rights Development Project)
• Association of Small Scale Enterprises in Tourism (ASSET)
• British High Commission
• Dutch Embassy – Dakar
• ECPAT - International
• ECPAT - Netherlands
• Gambia Police Force
• Gambia
Tourism Authority
• National AIDS Secretariat
• Plymouth Banjul Challenge
• Responsible Tourism Partnership
• Save the Children Sweden West Africa Regional Office
• Terre des Hommes – Netherlands
• UNICEF - Banjul
• Volunteer Services
Overseas
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