This book assesses the progress the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) 1989 has made in different African countries as well as in the region more generally. It considers the implementation of the CRC in terms of policy, practice and its impact on the lived experiences of children across the continent, focusing on specific themes such as HIV/AIDS, education and disability, child labour, witchcraft stigmatisation, armed conflict and religion. The volume provides a critical analysis of the progress of the CRC and identifies concrete ways forward for the better implementation of this treaty in Africa.

1. Reasling Children's Rights in Africa: An Introduction, Afua Twum-Danso Imoh 2. Conflicting Protectionist and Participation Models of Children's Rights: Their consequences for Uganda's Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Kristen E. Cheney 3. Children's Rights in the Time of AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Amy Norman 4. Earning Rights: Discourses on Children's Rights and Proper Childhood in Ethiopia, Tatek Abebe and Tamirat Tefera 5. Children's Rights in the DRC and Neoliberal Reforms: The Case of Mines in the Province of Katanga, Géraldine André and Marie Godin 6. Children's Participation in Prohibited Work and its Implications for the CRC, Samuel Okyere 7. What can Children's Rights Mean when Children are Struggling to Survive? The Case of Chiweshe, Zimbabwe, Michael Bourdillon and Eve Musvosvi 8. In the Best Interests of the Child: The Case of Child Domestic Workers in Ghana and Nigeria, Evelyn Omoike 9. Why are Aspirations for Children in Tanzania not Translating into Substantive Change, Kate McAlpine 10. Accessing and Participating in Education in Lesotho: Children in the Early Years with Special Needs, Jacqui O'Riordan, James Urwick, Matemoho Khatleli, Stella Long, Grace Ntaote, Florence Nyakudya and Nthabeleng Maketela 11. Barriers to the Effective Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, Emilie Secker 12. Progressing Street Children's Rights and Participation in Policy: Evidence from the South Africa, Lorraine van Blerk 13. Making the Case for a Broader Definition of Child Participation: Evidence from the Niver Delta of Nigeria, Samuel Okyere and Afua Twum-Danso Imoh 14. The Convention on the Rights of the Child: advancing social justice for African children?, Nicola Ansell