Concept Note 2015 Day of the African Child - Lagos, Nigeria EVENT: 3rd Annual CEO Forum on Children’s Rights DATE: June 16, 2015 VENUE: British Council, 20 Thompson Road, Ikoyi ORGANIZERS: CSR Children in partnership with the British Council GUEST SPEAKER: Hussaina Aliyu Ibrahim (Mrs) INTRODUCTION The Foundation for Corporate Social Responsibility and Children’s Rights (“CSR Children”) are the leading advocacy organization in Nigeria in the field of corporate social responsibility and children’s rights. They work to engage the private sector to make a serious commitment to invest in the development of children in Nigeria. which will be commemorated by bringing together those affected by and working to end child marriage such as community leaders, traditional, religious leaders, girls affected by child marriage and key stakeholders. As part of their advocacy efforts, CSR Children also marks two important calendar dates in global development to advocate for children’s rights: SPECIAL GUEST Our Guest Speaker is Mrs Hussaina Ibrahim, senior counsel at the International Federation of Women Lawyers in Kano and the defense counsel to a 14 year old girl who has been sentenced to death for killing her husband. i) the International Day of the African Child (June 16) ii) the International Day of the Girl Child (October 11) DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD (DAC) 2015 The Day of the African Child is commemorated every year on 16 June by Member States of the African Union (AU), and its Partners (in accordance with Resolution CM/Res.1290 (XL). This occasion is firstly a commemoration to recall the 1976 uprisings in Soweto, when a protest by school children in South Africa against apartheid–inspired education resulted in the public killing of these unarmed young protesters by police officials. The DAC further presents an opportunity to focus on the work of all actors committed to the rights of children on the continent, to consolidate their efforts in addressing the obstacles for realizing these rights. The DAC also provides an occasion for Governments, International Institutions and Communities to renew their on-going commitments towards improving the plight of children by organizing activities aimed at including them. Every year, a theme is identified by the Committee and adopted by the Executive Council. During its 23rd Ordinary Session in April 2014, the Committee identified and adopted the theme for the Day of the African Child (DAC ) 2015 : “25 Years after the Adoption of the African Children’s Charter: Accelerating our Collective Efforts to End Child Marriage in Africa” In line with the above, we at the CSR Children, in partnership with the British Council, will convene a small cross section of key stakeholders working to end child marriage in Nigeria. Other members from civil society, child focused organizations and government working to end child marriage in Nigeria will also be invited including members of the diplomatic community. PROCEEDINGS The Seminar will: • Set out the situational context of child marriage in Africa; • Highlight the challenges in ensuring that child marriage is eliminated from Nigeria; • Note the importance of the Child Rights Act • Highlight examples of best practice in the elimination of child marriage in Africa; • Make recommendations for a holistic and integrated approach to eliminating child marriage in Africa; REGISTRATION The event is strictly by invitation. If you are a key stakeholder and would like to register to attend, kindly contact us. For further enquiries, please contact: Toyin Olakanpo President/CEO, CSR Children Email: [email protected] Tel: +44(0) 203 287 2961 (Global Direct) s rc h w w w.c il d re n .c o m