Uganda Child Rights NGO Network is structured into departments, with each department being charged with particular roles and responsibilites.

The departments are:

• Advocacy
• Research and policy
• Networking and Information
• Finance and Administration.

Policy and Research

The primary mandate of the Department is to:

• Undertake and coordinate research initiatives of the Secretariat
• Contribute to research initiatives of members and other stakeholders on child rights issues
• Analyse laws and policies related to children and identify areas for advocacy and/ or research.
• Coordinate national level policy engagement processes, while ensuring effective participation of member organizations

In addition, the Department undertakes overlapping activities including providing training to member organizations and other child actors, fund raising, organisational planning and budgeting.

Advocacy and Child helpline.

The main objective of the department is to mobilize member organizations to collectively participate in and influence the development and implementation of policies and laws on the rights and responsibilities of the child.

Over the years, the department has been engaged in awareness raising of child rights issues in Uganda, and has gone further to engage key duty bearers with the aim of putting children’s rights at the center of any decisions made. It has actively participated in the establishment of frameworks that promote and facilitate the observance of child rights in Uganda and has gone ahead to guide the implementation of programs.

Activities that the department is involved in

• Undertake training of network members in advocacy and lobbying on child rights issues in an effort to strengthen their capacity to lobby more effectively.
• National awareness creation on child rights issues
• Engage in advocating for policy and legislative reform at all levels including advocating for increased resources for children’s programs.

ECPAT International.

ECPAT International is a global network of organisations and individuals working together for the elimination of child prostitution, child pornography and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes. It seeks to encourage the world community to ensure that children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights free and secure from all forms of commercial sexual exploitation. For more information, see www.ecpat.net

For more information about the Regional Consultations and The World Congress III against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, see http://www.ecpat.net/WorldCongressIII

One way that ECPAT works to build the awareness and capacity of children and young people to combat CSEC is through a youth network established together with the ECPAT International Child and Youth Advisory Committee (EICYAC). EICYAC is composed of regional youth representatives elected by the youth networks working with ECPAT groups around the world. In addition, ECPAT supports the Youth Partnership Project for Child Survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation in South Asia (YPP), which is working to empower and build the capacity of child survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking and at-risk youth to take the lead in the fight against CSEC.  For more information, see www.eicyac.org and www.yppsa.org

Caroline Liou
Information & Communications Officer

ECPAT International
328/1 Phaya Thai Road
Bangkok 10400,Thailand
Tel: + 66 (0) 2 215 3388 ext. 128
Fax: + 66 (0) 2 215 8272
http://www.ecpat.net
http://www.ecpat.net/WorldCongressIII