ECOWAS Parliament Tackles Child Hunger, Abuse
Alarmed by the worsening conditions of street children across West Africa, the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States has adopted a resolution demanding urgent, coordinated action to end child hunger, trafficking, abuse, deprivation, and all forms of exploitation threatening the future of children in the region.
The resolution was adopted during the Parliament’s First Ordinary Session of 2026, held in Abuja, and drew from recommendations made at a delocalised joint committee meeting that had earlier convened in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The committees involved were the Joint Committee on Social Affairs, Gender, Women Empowerment and People with Disabilities; Legal Affairs and Human Rights; and Trade, Customs and Free Movement.
Lawmakers expressed deep concern over the growing number of vulnerable children compelled to beg, sleep in markets and bus parks, and exposed to violence and sexual abuse due to poverty and what they described as seeming indifference by relevant authorities.
During their April meeting, parliamentarians had examined the theme “Parliamentary Approach to the Protection of Street Children and the Fight Against the Exploitation of Children in the ECOWAS Region,” warning that street children remained one of the most neglected groups in society and among those facing the gravest human rights violations.
In response, the Parliament called on all ECOWAS member states to adopt and implement comprehensive national strategies for street children, with clear objectives, timelines, and dedicated budgetary allocations in line with international child rights standards.
Governments were also urged to strengthen enforcement of child protection laws and guarantee every child access to free and inclusive education, healthcare, mental health support, birth registration, identity documents, and child friendly justice systems.
Lawmakers stressed the need to tackle the root causes of the crisis by expanding social protection programmes for vulnerable families, particularly single parent households affected by poverty, displacement, and family breakdown. They further recommended community child protection mechanisms, parental support services, psychosocial assistance, and public awareness campaigns to combat discrimination and social exclusion.
The ECOWAS Commission was directed to develop a harmonised regional framework on street children to guide member states and ensure a coordinated subregional response. The Commission was equally urged to strengthen collaboration with governments, civil society organisations, and development partners, while expanding the ECOWAS Child Rights Information Management System to support data driven policymaking and accountability.
Acknowledging the cross border nature of child trafficking, the Parliament called for referral systems, safe repatriation protocols, and information sharing mechanisms among member states to better protect children on the move.
The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Memounatou Ibrahim, was mandated to transmit the resolution and the joint committee report to the President of the ECOWAS Commission for onward submission to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers.
The session, which began on May 4, addressed several pressing regional issues.