The African children’s charter at 30: What implications for child and family law?

Abstract

This chapter examines the progress made and the difficulties encountered in the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (hereinafter the Charter) in the areas of children's rights and family. This analysis will cover some of the major developments in the rights of the child and the family following the first 30 years of the Charter, including legislative reforms, the development of specialized institutions, domestic violence and other forms of violence, child marriage, international adoption and surrogacy, as well as corporal punishment inflicted by parents.