A delegation from the African Union conducted a monitoring visit in Seychelles during the week 25th-28th September as part of the ongoing campaign to end Child marriage. The delegation had the chance to meet with various Departments and other entities to get a better understanding of the cultural context and the mechanism in place for ending harmful practices against children including child marriage. Given revision in the law and child marriage not being an issue for Seychelles, discussions were held about the various legislations, programmes and other system in place for the wellbeing of children.
The six member delegation led by the Hon. Hermine Kembo Takam Gatsing met with the following Government institutions and entities.
• Social Affairs Department
• Women’s Parliamentary Caucus
• Seychelles Human Rights Commission
• Office of the Ombudsman
• National Council for Children
• National Commission for Child Protection
• Department of Civil Status
• Ministry of Local Government & Community Affairs
• Ministry of Health
• Family Department
• Seychelles Inter Faith Council (SIFCO)
• Children representatives including members of Seychelles National Youth Council
• Department of Youth and Sports
• Civil Engagement Platform Seychelles (CEPS)
The group also had the opportunity to participate in a session held by the Employment Department with youths on the skills development programme
The delegation ended their mission with a courtesy visit to the Minister for Employment and Social Affairs, Mrs Patricia Francourt who was also joined by both Principal Secretaries for Employment and Social Affairs. Minister Francourt appraised them on the work undertaken by the Ministry to empower the youths to take jobs on the labour market and ensure that citizens are economically empowered to meet needs of their families. By the end of the mission, the delegation appreciated the structures and institution in place for the holistic development of children and noted the cultural difference compared to other African countries. They also noted that the children of Seychelles are very privileged in terms of all services made accessible to them. But also noted areas needing improvement. The country now awaits for their report and recommendation for further consideration.
