 
Contact Address:
Child Protection
Alliance
Banjul area Head office
Atlantic Road
Fajara M Section
Booster Station
TANGO Building
Kanifing Municipality, Ksmd
The Gambia, West Africa
Tel no: +220 4498154 / 9929421
Email: cpagambia@yahoo.com
cpagambia@qanet.gm |
Information:
 The
CPA which was established in Banjul on the 26th April
2001 is a nationwide grouping of almost 50 institutions
focused on the promotion and preservation of children's
rights in Gambia.
Programmes:
• Child Protection (Sexual Abuse; Commercial
Sexual Exploitation, Child Sex Tourism and Child Trafficking)
• HIV/AIDS
• Rights promotion & participation
• Violence against children
Background:
Prior to the formation of the CPA the important work
of non-governmental organisation charities advocating
and protecting children's rights was most often un-coordinated
with little effect being felt on the ground from various
disparate efforts.
It had become apparent that even though The Gambia was
a signatory of the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1990, the treaty was
not properly promoted within the general population.
At the time the rights of the child was not accorded
due weight and featured fairly low on the political
landscape. National statutes which did deal with children's
welfare were quite varied and sometimes in conflict
with one and other and none and not one was in line
with the UN CRC.
Child protection was a novel idea with little knowledge
about it among community leaders and the professional
class. Child sexual abuse and youth exploitation were
not well publicized or well understood and little field
work had been done in the area.
As a result of the above the Child Protection Alliance
of Gambia was founded to fill the vacuum in child protection
and rights and to promote and sensitize people and increase
understanding of issues pertinent to children. It also
lobbies for adequate legislative changes to address
issues of concern and follow-up on their effectiveness.
The CPA also actively encourages the participation of
children on issues affecting them. To this end it created
the a child spearheaded advocacy group called the 'Voice
Of The Young' which acts as a forum for all children
and uses peer counsellors. It actively engages the media,
politicians, policymakers as well as promoting their
rights in Gambian society.
The CPA is also engaged in awareness training and capacity
building for youth to make them less vulnerable to exploitation.
Participating Government Institutions:
• Ministry
of Health & Social Welfare
• Ministry
of Justice
• Ministry of
Trade, Regional Integration & Employment
• Ministry
of Tourism & Culture
• Ministry
For Basic & Secondary Education
Participating Organisations:
• ActionAid International
The Gambia
• American Embassy (Human Rights Development Project)
• Association of Small Scale Enterprises in Tourism
(ASSET)
• British High Commission
• Dutch Embassy – Dakar
• ECPAT - International
• ECPAT - Netherlands
• Gambia Police Force
• Gambia Tourism Authority
• National AIDS Secretariat
• Plymouth Banjul Challenge
• Responsible Tourism Partnership
• Save the
Children Sweden West Africa Regional Office
• Terre des Hommes – Netherlands
• UNICEF - Banjul
• Volunteer Services Overseas
Directions:
Just off Kairaba Avenue, behind the War Cemetery, Bakau.
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