On the 22 November 2025, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria held a workshop in Maseru, Kingdom of Lesotho. This workshop, the fourth of its kind following previous workshops in Zambia, Malawi and Kenya, focused on “Promoting Child Participation in Development Frameworks in Africa” and establishing a Child Leadership Teams in Lesotho which will form part of the African base of the Global Campus for Human Rights, Child Leadership Team (GC-CLT).
The workshop was attended by government officials, civic society organisations (CSOs) and children. The primary goal of the workshop was to equip stakeholders with the knowledge and tools to effectively ensure the participation of children in development agendas at national, regional and global levels. Guided by the Study on Child Participation in Development Frameworks in Africa the workshop aimed to create a more inclusive environment where children’s voices are heard and considered throughout the development process. By raising awareness and sharing best practices, the workshop sought to foster more sustainable and successful outcomes for all.
At the opening of the workshop, Ms Boitumelo Mofolo from the Ministry of Youth, Gender and Social Development gave welcoming remarks, where she emphasised the importance of child participation. She reiterated the need for meaningful child participation in all spheres. The welcoming remarks were followed by discussions from CSOs where they highlighted their role in child participation in developmental frameworks in Lesotho, sharing experiences of their engagements with children and outlining their efforts to enhance effective and meaningful child participation. Representatives of Lesotho Girl Guides noted what child participation means to them and they advocated for government to provide environments where children are involved in all matters concerning them in a respectful, influential and genuine manner.
The children also had an opportunity to discuss various sectors where they believe meaningful child participation would be beneficial for them. The children made their presentation in the form of speeches, dramatic skits and poems. Broadly, they shared their views on the achievements and challenges of the child participation in the areas of education, health, protection and politics in Lesotho and they proposed various solutions to enhance meaningful child participation. By involving children to lead the discussions, the aim was to give the children a space to express their views on the state of governance, promotion and protection of children’s rights in Lesotho.
The workshop concluded with final remarks from the representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth, Gender and Social Development and the vote of thanks from one of the children.
For more information, please contact:
Childrens Rights Unit
Tel +27 (0)12 420 6209
rotondwa.mashige@up.ac.za