By Bockarie Kamara
A high-level regional meeting of the ECOWAS Parliament n Freetown has ended with renewed commitment from West African lawmakers to strengthen policies and legal frameworks aimed at protecting children in street situations across the region.
Speaking at the close of the joint committee session, Sierra Leone’s Head of Delegation, Hon. Veronica Kadie Sesay , commended the ECOWAS team and local organizers for successfully hosting the engagement. She described the issue of street children as a “global concern” requiring urgent and coordinated regional action.
Hon. Sesay expressed appreciation to the administrative, protocol, and conference teams for their dedication since the start of the meeting on April 4, noting their efforts in ensuring smooth coordination, logistics, and welfare of delegates. She emphasized that the choice of Sierra Leone as host country was an opportunity to showcase both the challenges and ongoing efforts in child protection.
“We have seen firsthand how children are surviving on the streets. When we return to our respective countries, we must continue to assess the realities and work towards a unified legal framework to protect them,” she stated, calling for sustained collaboration among member states.
The meeting, held from April 7–11, 2026, brought together parliamentarians from across the sub-region under the theme: “Parliamentary Approaches to Safeguarding Children in Street Situations and Addressing Child Exploitation in the ECOWAS Region.” It focused on strengthening the role of parliament at both regional and national levels in tackling child vulnerability.
Presenting the committee report, Nigeria’s delegate, Hon. Sulaiman Abubakarr Gumi, highlighted key findings from stakeholder engagements and field visits. He pointed to persistent gaps between existing child protection laws and their implementation, lack of harmonized regional strategies, and the continued prevalence of child exploitation, abuse, and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation.
The report also identified major drivers pushing children into street situations, including poverty, family breakdown, lack of access to education, and the aftermath of crises like the Ebola epidemic. Emerging concerns such as substance abuse—particularly kush—were also raised during discussions.
Delegates conducted field visits to organizations such as Laughter Africa ndDon Bosco Fambul, where they interacted directly with vulnerable children and service providers. The engagements provided practical insights into rehabilitation and reintegration efforts, with lawmakers reaffirming their commitment to supporting such initiatives.
In his intervention, Sierra Leonean MP Sheka Samah alled for improved data collection, including statistics on beneficiaries, as well as clearer documentation of successes and challenges faced by frontline institutions to guide future interventions.
Meanwhile, Guinea-Bissau delegate Hon. Mandel Nascimento Lopes strongly criticized the continued neglect of vulnerable children across the region, describing the situation as “shameful” and urging governments to take more decisive action.
Also contributing, Sierra Leone MP Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina emphasized the need for stronger collaboration between parliamentarians and relevant ministries, as well as the inclusion of additional recommendations from stakeholder engagements. He highlighted the importance of enforcing laws such as the prohibition of child marriage, stressing that children must be protected to reach their full potential.
The joint committee concluded with a series of recommendations, including the adoption of harmonized regional frameworks, strengthening of child protection systems, improved data management, increased funding, and enhanced cross-border cooperation.
Lawmakers also called for the decriminalization of survival behaviors among street children, expansion of social protection programs, and greater involvement of civil society and children themselves in policy processes.
As the meeting closed, delegates reaffirmed their collective resolve to translate discussions into concrete actions, with hopes that future sessions will present measurable progress in safeguarding the rights and dignity of children across West Africa.