CHILDREN’S RIGHTS AND CURRENT TRENDS IN CHILD PROTECTION IN AFRICA

Abstract

All over the  world, sustainability has become the focal point of developmental processes. Children are the tools of sustainability of human resources base. A developmental programme that does not take account of this fact is bound to  fail,  and  any  act  or  mission  that  is  inimical  to  ensuring  that  children  grow  up  into  responsible  and  productive adults  is  a  major  stumbling  block  in  sustainability  of  human  resources  as  base  of  any  nation  and  the  world  in general.  Children  are  the  most  vulnerable  members  of  thesociety  and  require  protection  from  adults.  The  world ‘rights’ when applied to children are not rights properly so called but guiding principles for adult behavior towards achieving child protection and enthroning behavioural response for ‘the best interest of the child’. This is construed from  the  fact that human rights instruments did not include  age  as a possible basis for discrimination. This paper adopts the analytical tool for the doctrinal method using authorities on the subject from the books, journal articles and  internet  sources.  The  identification  and  analysis  of  the  anomalies  shall  elicit  recommendations  as  to  the  way forward in Africa.