On the occasion of Mawlid Ennabaoui, the Cultural Center of Djamaa El-Djazair organized, in coordination with the National Organ for the Protection and Promotion of Childhood (ONPPE), a conference dedicated to the theme “Children’s Rights Between Prophetic Methodology and National Legislation.” Participants urged transforming the defense of children’s rights into a genuine national cause.
Presiding over the opening of this gathering alongside the National Delegate for Child Protection, Meriem Cherfi, the Rector of Djamaa El-Djazair, Cheikh Mohamed Maamoun Al Kacimi Al Hoceini, highlighted Sunday the Algerian experience in child protection and promotion, particularly through the legislative framework established by the state.
In this context, he noted that “the law on child protection made defining the rules and mechanisms for protecting children a fundamental objective.” For the rector, this evolution reflects a determination to consolidate child protection through a comprehensive approach involving various stakeholders, adding that this legislative process represents “a national awareness of the collective responsibility that child protection constitutes.” He added that this responsibility must mobilize “the family, the school, the mosque, state institutions, civil society, and the various actors engaged in the field of childhood” because “children’s rights constitute a genuine societal cause engaging both the present and the future.”
In this effort, the role of Djamaa El-Djazair, given its “religious, national, and civilizational” dimension, “stands among the leading institutions contributing to anchoring a culture of child care and protection while strengthening the place of the family in the educational process,” the rector continued.
Taking the floor in turn, National Delegate for Child Protection Meriem Cherfi emphasized “the national efforts undertaken in the reception, guidance, and promotion of childhood, as well as in protecting children’s rights.” These efforts manifested, she explained, through “the adoption of measures and programs and the establishment of an integrated national system” designed to reinforce protection mechanisms and improve child care.
Cherfi also recalled the missions carried out by the ONPPE in protecting and promoting childhood, in coordination with various bodies, ministerial departments, and civil society actors. This coordination specifically aims to ensure better prevention of rights violations and a more effective response to various situations of vulnerability.
Within the same framework, the national delegate mentioned the “Practical Guide for Intervention Personnel in Protecting Children Against All Forms of Violence,” developed by the ONPPE in coordination with relevant sectors. This tool aims to assist professionals and field workers in their prevention and protection actions.
At the conclusion of the event, participants called for “the organization of national gatherings and study days” dedicated to child protection. They also advocated for a broader understanding of existing legislation and for “strengthening the culture of reporting any infringement on children’s rights.”