By Florence Joshua, Freetown
The Economic Community of West Africa States’ (ECOWAS) parliament has adopted a five-point resolution to tackle the growing menace of street begging by children in the sub region.
Rising from a five-day meeting (April 7 to 11, 2026) held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, under its sixth legislature, the Parliament said the measure became necessary due to the growing trend of social exploitation of children particularly in the ECOWAS region.
The Meeting of the Joint Committee on Social Affairs, Gender, Women Empowerment & Persons with Disabilities, Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Trade, Customs and Free Movement, Political Affairs, Peace, Security and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) brought together lawmakers and stakeholders under the theme: “Parliamentary Approaches to Safeguarding Children in Street Situations and Addressing Child Exploitation in the ECOWAS Region.”
The adopted resolutions called to member states to: harmonize national laws with regional frameworks on child protection, strengthen oversight of institutions responsible for child welfare, address root causes of child exploitation such as poverty, displacement, and weak social systems. The other resolution was a call for member states to enhance cross-border collaboration to combat trafficking and exploitation, urgency in taking the listed actions beyond policy declarations.
At the closing ceremony, the co-chairs of the meeting, Veronica Kadie Sesay and Amdiatta Diaby commended participants for what they described as “frank, solution-driven deliberations” focused on one of the region’s most pressing social challenges.
Hon. Sesay stressed that the responsibility now lies with national governments and parliamentarians to translate the resolutions into tangible actions.
Hon. Diaby on his part reiterated the importance of political will, warning that without implementation, the region risks failing its most vulnerable population.
It ended with a strong call for coordinated legislative action and deeper regional cooperation. Participants further called for increased investment in education, social protection systems, and rehabilitation programmes to reintegrate affected children into society.
The meeting officially ended with the adoption of the final report, which will be presented to the plenary of the ECOWAS Parliament for further consideration and follow-up.
The Freetown session marks a significant step in reinforcing regional commitment to child protection, as the West African leaders intensify efforts to address the complex realities facing children in street situations.
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