ABUJA, Aug 27 (AFP) - West African leaders will meet next month in the Senegalese capital Dakar to discuss child welfare in a region where children are often pressed into labour or military service.
The September 6 summit of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will meet as part of the bloc's peer review mechanism, according to an ECOWAS statement issued Wednesday.
"They will focus on the objectives of the peer review as it relates to child matters, including the promotion of a better and healthier existence for children and the control of HIV/AIDS," it said.
Other issues on the agenda include lowering the region's child mortality rate, improving access to clean water and ensuring better treatement for children orphaned by AIDS.
The statement said the leaders will also focus on equal education opportunities for boys and girls and seek ways to ensure that at least 80 percent of West African children receive basic schooling.
Tens of thousands of children in the region suffer from a range of abuses, including child trafficking, child labour and prostitution. Child soldiers have also been pressed into service in armies and rebel groups in both Liberia and Sierra Leone.
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