Documentation centre

Since 2007, the BICE team in Lomé spends time in the streets to try to get children and teenagers out of labour exploitation and encourage their social reinsertion. Advocacy efforts have resulted in great synergies between actors of the civil society.

On 20 November, Universal Children’s Day, thousands of children from 17 countries celebrated by colouring the skies of the world, as part of a BICE initiative. An international mobilisation, and a giant balloon release, to express their dreams and hopes.

Although the UN Convention on the rights of the child has led to obvious progress in the last two decades, there has been a certain slowing-down in recent years. Worrying setbacks and serious violations of the rights of the child have been noted in many regions worldwide. BICE’s action is underpinned by the active participation of children, who are encouraged to take responsibility for their daily lives, taking into account their age, maturity and circumstances.  The keynote is the child’s capacity to exert an influence over real-life situations. The video on the 10 challenges of the Appeal was produced in partnership with SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication, and with the support of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.