Promoting gender equality and children’s rights in Burkina Faso

Context

Burkina Faso’s population is with over half under the age of 18 years, according to the 2019 General Population and Housing Census (RGPH 2019). This demographic trend underscores the urgent need to protect children, especially as rising violence against civilians has forced many to become internally displaced persons (IDPs). Notably, the majority of them are children.

Additionally, many children in Burkina Faso must engage in child labour and are facing hazardous work conditions that endanger their health, safety, and well-being, particularly in rural areas. Child marriage remains widespread, often leading to early pregnancies that prevent young mothers from continuing their education. Although laws prohibit female genital mutilation (FGM), the practice persists, despite a decline in prevalence. Efforts to address these challenges are limited by inadequate government resources and insufficient support infrastructure.

Objective

Children, including those internally displaced, receive better protection against child trafficking, harmful forms of child labour, and gender-based violence through the efforts of government institutions and civil society in selected communes.

Approach

The project directly involves decentralised government services, civil society organisations, and local authorities in implementing activities and identifying necessary measures.

The project supports its partners in Ouagadougou, as well as the East and South-West regions of Burkina Faso, by:

• equipping representatives of decentralised administration to plan and implement gender- and context-sensitive measures to provide better services for children
• enhancing the skills of social workers to provide psychosocial support to children affected by trauma and gender-based violence
• empowering civil society to adopt child-centred, gender-sensitive approaches to provide and improve perspectives for marginalised (vulnerable) children
• embedding child protection strategies within the portfolio of German cooperation in Burkina Faso

Last update: August 2024