The OMCT and partners launch the MENA Working Group to Protect Children from Institutional Violence

Background

Institutional violence against children remains a critical issue within state institutions, including detention facilities, rehabilitation centres, and social welfare institutions. Such violence has profound and lasting impacts on the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of children. In this context, the MENA Child Rights Initiative is a nascent project that aims to increase the impact of legal frameworks and protection systems to safeguard children's rights in the MENA region. Through its activities, it aims to raise awareness, enhance technical skills, and improve the quality of services provided to child victims of institutional violence through the collaborative efforts of key stakeholders.

About the MENA Working Group

The MENA Working Group to Protect Children from Institutional Violence, a cornerstone of the MENA Child Rights Initiative, comprises 18 members from 14 civil society groups across 10 countries in the MENA region (Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, Algeria, Yemen, Egypt, Mauritania, Palestine, and Iraq). The members represent the following civil society organisations:

• The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) (SOS-Torture Network / SANAD Tunisia)
• The Arab Network for Child Rights (Manara Network) (MENA)
• The Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH) (Lebanon)
• ALEF – Act for Human Rights (Lebanon)
• Democracy School (Yemen)
• Mizan - Law Group for Human Rights (Jordan)
• QADER for Community Development (Palestine)
• Public Aid Organization (PAO) (Iraq)
• The Mauritanian Association for Mother and Child Health (AMSME) (Mauritania)
• Association BAYTI (Morocco)
• Observatoire Marocain des Prisons (OMP) (Morocco)
• Forum of Dialogue and Partnership for Development (FDPD) (Egypt)
• Amal Association for the Family and the Child (Tunisia)
• Algerian Network for the Defense of Children’s Rights (NADA) (Algeria)

These members were selected for their expertise in child protection and anti-torture efforts. The Working Group also includes three children from the Manara Network’s Children’s Advisory Committee to ensure child participation in the activities of the MENA Working Group to Protect Children from Institutional Violence.

The Working Group draws on the strengths of OMCT’s SOS-Torture Network, the Manara Network, and other specialised NGOs in the region and serves as a platform for dialogue, knowledge transfer, research, data collection, and capacity-building initiatives. Its goal is to foster a regional movement dedicated to protecting child victims of state violence in the MENA region.

The MENA Working Group aims to:

• Raise awareness of the prevalence, forms, and consequences of institutional violence against children in the MENA region.
• Build the technical capacity of officials and civil society groups to protect, support, and reintegrate child victims.
• Promote the provision of quality services to child victims by encouraging collaboration and the sharing of best practices.
• Facilitate knowledge exchange and mutual learning to identify innovative strategies and tools.
• Strengthen partnerships and networks to promote a coordinated multi-sectoral response to institutional violence against children.
• Advance advocacy and legal and policy reform initiatives to promote children's rights and well-being.

The statement is available in Arabic.

Get Involved

We invite all interested parties to follow OMCT's and its partners' digital channels for updates on the MENA Working Group's activities.

For more information, please contact Ilef Kassab, OMCT’s MENA Human Rights Adviser, at ika@omct.org.

About OMCT
The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) is a global coalition of more than 200 non-governmental organisations fighting against torture, summary executions, enforced disappearances, and all other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. The OMCT is a member of the United Against Torture Consortium and ProtectDefenders.eu.