On June 16th every year, governments, NGOs, International Organisations and other stakeholders gather to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the full realization of the rights of children in Africa. This is in commemoration of the 1976 massacre of SOWETO children in the then apartheid South Africa. An analysis of the global persistence and even escalation of violence in all areas of life, including homes, communities, institutions, and armed conflicts, reveals that the vast majority of people damaged by the decisions made and the actionscarried out by those in power (largely men) are children (and women).

The day thus presented a unique opportunity for Arigatou international to amplify her advocacy role in reducing GBV and its negative impacts on children. The theme of the 2016 Day of the African Child was, “Conflict and Crisis in Africa: Protecting all Children’s Rights”. The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child dedicated the commemoration of the Day of the African Child 2016, to the millions of Children affected by the conflicts and the crises in the continent and beyond. The day created an opportunity for Arigatou International, End Child Poverty to discuss the impact and confluence between conflict, GBV and child poverty and how it can be addressed and to highlight the role of religious communities.