The ECOWAS Parliament has adopted a resolution calling for urgent regional action to tackle child exploitation, street begging, trafficking, abuse, and deprivation affecting vulnerable children across West Africa.
The resolution was passed during the Parliament’s First Ordinary Session of 2026 held in Abuja, following recommendations from a delocalised meeting of the Joint Committee on Social Affairs, Gender, Women Empowerment and People with Disabilities; Legal Affairs and Human Rights; and Trade, Customs and Free Movement earlier held in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Lawmakers expressed concern over the growing number of children forced to live on the streets, beg in public places, and suffer violence, trafficking, and sexual abuse due to poverty and what they described as inadequate responses from authorities.
At the earlier committee meeting in April, parliamentarians reviewed the theme, ‘Parliamentary Approach to the Protection of Street Children and the Fight Against the Exploitation of Children in the ECOWAS Region’, warning that street children remain among the most neglected groups exposed to severe human rights violations.
The regional parliament subsequently urged all ECOWAS member states to adopt and fully implement comprehensive national strategies for the protection of street children, with clearly defined objectives, timelines, and dedicated funding aligned with international child rights standards.
It also called on governments to strengthen child protection laws and guarantee access to free and inclusive education, healthcare services, mental health support, birth registration, identity documentation, and child-friendly justice systems for children living on the streets.
Lawmakers stressed the need to address the root causes of the crisis by expanding social protection programmes for vulnerable families, especially single-parent households affected by poverty, displacement, and family breakdown.
They further recommended preventive measures such as community child protection systems, parental support programmes, psychosocial services, and public awareness campaigns aimed at combating discrimination and social exclusion.
The Parliament also directed the ECOWAS Commission to develop a harmonised regional framework on street children to guide member states and strengthen coordinated responses across the subregion.
In addition, the Commission was urged to work with governments, civil society organisations, and development partners while expanding the ECOWAS Child Rights Information Management System to support data-driven policymaking and accountability.
Given the cross-border nature of child trafficking and exploitation, lawmakers called for stronger referral systems, safe repatriation protocols, and improved information-sharing mechanisms among member states to better protect vulnerable children.
The Parliament also demanded increased capacity-building support for national institutions responsible for child protection, child-friendly justice, and law enforcement.
Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Memounatou Ibrahim, was mandated to transmit the resolution and committee report to the President of the ECOWAS Commission for onward submission to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers.
The session, which began on May 4 in Abuja, addressed several regional issues and produced recommendations aimed at improving governance, security, and social protection across West Africa.
