By Mariam Sankanu
In their quest to hold society accountable for the protection of children’s rights, the Child Protection Alliance has Tuesday commenced a four-day workshop on child centered social accountability in The Gambia at a local hotel in Senegambia.
“This workshop is very important. It’s about child centered social accountability. All of us work with children and we know how accountability is important in human rights. We know that accountability is important because it ensures that we are able to check the government, the main duty bearer. But we also know that accountability is important because it is the bedrock of a just society, it is the bedrock for Democracy,” Nyundu Drammeh, Coordinator of CPA, highlighted.
He however added that rights can only be protected if people know what those rights are. He said: “When right holders know what their rights are, when right holders know what the obligation of duty bearers are, then they are in a better position to hold duty bearers, especially the state, accountable. And accountability is possible when we know what these rights are.”
Representatives of Save The Children International from other countries are also participants of the four day workshop. Saadibou Diatta; child protection officer, Ndeye Fatou Ndiaye; Meal Officer and Lilianne Couroubally; programme assistant from the Dakar Office and Judas Massingue, child protection advisor from Mozambique who will be serving as the facilitator. Judas said that the main reason behind the workshop is for all the participants to share ideas about the topic and provide possible solutions to problems highlighted.
The four day workshop funded by Save The Children International is expected to prepare the participants to be able to hold the society accountable for the protection of the rights of children.
