2.8 Summary

This session was designed to help you understand how international human rights laws are translated into the national level to ensure the effective protection of children. In summary:

• In Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, the governments have introduced laws and policies to translate the UN Convention and the African Charter into national legislation.
• National laws and polices provide more detailed measures on how the rights of children must be respected.
• The child’s right to care and protection is a shared responsibility at many levels, including, for example, governments, parents and health workers.
• Although the family has the primary responsibility for the care of the child, the law allows governments to intervene to protect the child when it is in her or his best interests to do so.
• All four countries have national laws that provide protection to children from violence.
• All four countries have national laws that recognise the right of the child to express their views and have them taken seriously.
• Health workers have a key role to play in protecting children, providing them with appropriate information to make informed choices and ensuring that their voices are heard.