The African Child Rights Marshal (ACRM), a proposed pan-African child-rights and community protection initiative, is seeking to strengthen grassroots mechanisms for protecting children from abuse, exploitation, violence, and other threats across Africa.
The initiative is mobilising professionals, intellectuals, human rights advocates, educators, community leaders, youth advocates, and other change-makers to build a coordinated child-protection network across the continent’s 54 countries.
ACRM is anchored in the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC).
The initiative recognises that although governments and statutory institutions have a major responsibility for child protection, many challenges affecting children occur within homes and communities.
It is therefore proposing a community-based approach that focuses on child-rights education, prevention, early identification, safeguarding, appropriate referral, advocacy, and community mobilisation.
Addressing threats facing children
According to ACRM, children across Africa continue to face challenges including child trafficking, child labour, child marriage, sexual exploitation, gender-based violence, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, harmful traditional practices, school dropout, streetism, substance abuse, illegal migration, discrimination, poverty, and social exclusion.
The initiative believes communities must play a more active role in preventing and responding to these challenges.
As part of its proposed grassroots structure, ACRM intends to establish Community Child Protection Officers who will help educate communities about children’s rights, promote safer environments, identify potential protection concerns, and facilitate referrals to appropriate authorities and professional services.
ACRM stresses, however, that its Community Child Protection Officers would not replace existing statutory child-protection institutions.
The officers would also not automatically have police, military, judicial, or law enforcement powers.
An ACRM appointment or rank would not confer powers of arrest, detention, investigation, or prosecution. Serious child-protection cases and suspected criminal conduct would be referred to legally authorised institutions in accordance with the laws of the country concerned.
Child-rights education at the center
Child-rights education is expected to be a major component of the initiative.
ACRM plans to engage children, young people, parents, teachers, traditional and religious leaders, professionals and the general public on children’s rights and the responsibilities of adults as duty bearers.
The initiative is also proposing a Child Rights and Moral Ethics Curriculum for primary, junior secondary, senior secondary, and tertiary institutions.
The curriculum would combine child-rights education with moral values, responsible citizenship and leadership, with plans to make the materials accessible through translations into major African languages.
ACRM also proposes the establishment of African Child Rights Marshal Students Clubs to promote child-rights education, leadership, peer education, anti-bullying campaigns, responsible citizenship and prevention of drug and substance abuse.
Continental structure
The proposed ACRM structure would operate from the continental level through Regional Commands, National Commands, State or Provincial Commands, Local Government or District Commands and Community Commands.
The initiative says the structure is intended to improve coordination, training, communication, accountability, reporting, and community mobilisation.
The proposed West African Regional Command would coordinate the development of ACRM structures within the sub-region, including supporting national leadership, training, safeguarding, partnerships, and monitoring.
Each participating country would establish a National Command headed by a National Commandant, with sub-national structures adapted to the country’s administrative and legal system.
Youth development and community engagement
ACRM’s vision extends beyond child protection to programmes designed to promote positive youth development.
These include sports and talent development, vocational skills, entrepreneurship, leadership, youth empowerment, and media advocacy.
The initiative also proposes a “Child Rights Education and Drugs Harm Reduction Education Hour” through radio and television platforms to promote public education and community dialogue on child rights and substance-abuse prevention.
ACRM says all programmes involving children would be guided by appropriate safeguarding measures and applicable national laws.
Call for partnerships
The initiative is calling for collaboration with governments, child-protection agencies, civil society organisations, schools, universities, traditional authorities, religious institutions, professional bodies, development partners, media organisations, health institutions, social workers, lawyers, youth organisations and community leaders.
It maintains that protecting children requires collective action and cannot be left to one institution or sector.
The long-term ambition is to establish a functional and accountable ACRM presence across Africa’s 54 countries, while prioritising competence, integrity, safeguarding and service over titles and status.
Its guiding principle is:
“A Title Is Not Authority. Service Is Responsibility.”
ACRM says every person serving under the initiative must uphold integrity, professionalism, accountability, respect for the law and the best interests of the child.
Its core commitment is:
“No Child Should Be Left Behind. No Child Should Be Abused. No Child Should Be Exploited. No Child Should Be Silenced.”
The initiative’s philosophy is summarised as:
Educate → Prevent → Protect → Empower → Advocate → Transform.
Through this approach, ACRM seeks to contribute to safer communities where children know their rights, families understand their responsibilities and communities actively participate in protecting and empowering the next generation.
