Cameroon, thirty years ago, adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This was to protect the right of all children, everywhere in the country, to be free from discrimination, violence and neglect. As such, the government has taken measures to ensure that children are treated with dignity and respect; cared for, develop and be part of their communities; have a right to education, to express their own opinions and to participate in decisions that concern them; and that they have the right to be protected against all violence and discrimination, wherever they live, regardless of their ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status. After thirty years, key actors in child protection in the country have begun examining what has been done and what needs to be done to better protect children in all the nooks and crannies of the country. 

As such, within the framework of the continuation of activities to commemorate the 7th edition of the International Children’s Right Day, the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, on Friday December 27, 2019 in Yaounde held an exchange session between key actors in the promotion and protection of children’s rights in Cameroon. Opening the session was the representative of the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Inspector General, Nathalie Célestine Nguemba. She said it was an opportunity to examine the major actions carried out in the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in the country over the last two years. However, despite the strides, there are still challenges. According to the Secretary General of the United Nations, one in four children throughout the world lives in a conflict or natural disaster zone; 385 million are in extreme poverty; 51 million have no civil status and therefore no legal existence; and 30 million are forced to travel to another country to be safe.