Seeking an effective national supervisory intitution on the implementation of childrens rights in Africa

Abstract

It can be argued that the definition of a child as a human being below the age of 18 years is a western construct due to the fact that in Africa the duration of childhood is much shorter than that of the West. Thus, in some African societies childhood ends at the age of 14 or 16 depending on the cultural implications in that society. It must be pointed out here that there is no universal definition of childhood due to the fact that the definition of a child is culture specific. Having laid down the differences in the definition of childhood between Africa and the West, it is necessary to discuss the concept of children’s rights.