EHRC Delegation Led by Commissioner for Women’s and Children’s Rights Participates in the 48th Ordinary Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 

A delegation from the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC), led by Commissioner for Women’s and Children’s Rights, Ashenafi Abebe, participated in the 48th Ordinary Session of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC), held in Maseru, Lesotho, from October 13 to 20, 2026. 

During the session, the delegation took part in continental-level discussions and shared updates on the Commission’s institutional activities and monitoring findings relating to the protection of women’s and children’s rights, specialized protection and care frameworks, and the broader promotion and protection of human rights.

In her presentation, EHRC Commissioner for Women’s and Children’s Rights, Ashenafi Abebe, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to strengthening its monitoring and advocacy efforts in collaboration with continental and regional human rights mechanisms to promote and ensure the effective protection of women’s and children’s rights. 

The Commissioner also provided an overview of the institutional measures and initiatives undertaken at the national level to advance the protection and promotion of the rights of women and children in Ethiopia.

​At the conclusion of the session, the delegation indicated that it would draw on the discussions, recommendations, and good practices shared during the 48th Ordinary Session to develop institutional policy briefs and recommendation documents and share them with relevant stakeholders. 

On October 14, 2026, the delegation also participated in a side event organized by the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), entitled “Strengthening the Role of National Human Rights Institutions in Implementing the Decisions of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.” During the continental meeting, the Committee also deliberated on several critical issues concerning children’s rights and welfare. These included preventing violence against children perpetrated through digital platforms, the draft General Comment on the rights of children with disabilities under Article 13 of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and studies on the recruitment of children into armed groups.