Convergence and Divergence between the UN Convention on the Rights of the Children and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

Abstract

There have been many praises as well as criticisms against both the UN Convention on the rights of the child and the African Charter on the rights and welfare of the child. However, many writers are of the view that the African charter was an unnecessary duplication of the convention. This paper outlines some of the differences and similarities between the UN convention on the rights of the child, and the African children’s charter. The paper traces the development of children’s right treaties internationally and on the African continent, and argues that the adoption of the African children’s charter is in tandem with the United Nation’s call for regional arrangements for the protection and promotion of human rights, therefore not an unnecessary duplication of the UN convention.