ECOWAS Parliament Opens Freetown Meeting with Urgent Calls to Protect Street Children from Exploitation

By Ifeyinwa Ike

Lawmakers from the ECOWAS Parliament launched a key delocalized Joint Committee meeting here today, drawing stark warnings about child exploitation and street life across West Africa.

Hosted at the Foreign Service Academy, the four-day session (April 8-11) unites committees on Social Affairs, Political Affairs, Legal Affairs, and Trade under the theme: “Parliamentary Approaches to Safeguarding Children in Street Situations and Addressing Child Exploitation in the ECOWAS Region.”

Participants aim to harmonise laws, boost oversight, and tackle root causes like poverty and weak social systems.

In her remarks, Head of Sierra-Leone ECOWAS Delegation, Hon. Veronica Sesay, and Chairperson of the Social Affairs Committee praised Freetown as a hub of freedom, solidarity, peace, and sub-regional cooperation.

Representing President Julius Maada Bio, she spotlighted vulnerable street children facing exploitation, violence, hazardous labor, and substance abuse. “This meeting provides a platform for reflection, dialogue, and peer learning,” Sesay said, praising Sierra Leone’s Child Rights Act 2025, Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, and Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act as models for regional reform.

Field visits and stakeholder talks are planned to expose delegates to on-the-ground realities.

Sierra Leone Parliament Speaker, Hon. Segun Solomon Thomas echoed the call, framing street children as a silent indictment of systemic failures in inequality, family breakdown, and social protections.

“Children are not the problem; they are the promise,” he declared, quoting Nelson Mandela: “The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children.”

Thomas proposed a regional legislative model, anti-trafficking mechanisms, monitoring frameworks, and investments in education and family support. He stressed parliaments’ roles in lawmaking, oversight, and advocacy for cross-border action.

Delegates, including ECOWAS officials, ministers, and partners, heard pleas for data-driven policies and a shift from reaction to prevention. Outcomes could yield concrete recommendations to shield millions from trafficking, labor, and abuse.