WORRIED by the ever increasing number of street children across West African state Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Parliament, has resolved against child hunger, deprivation, abuse, trafficking and all forms of exploitation that threaten the future of regional children.

The resolution was adopted yesterday during the Parliament’s First Ordinary Session of 2026 holding in Abuja. This drew from recommendations made at a delocalised meeting of the Joint Committee on Social Affairs, Gender, Women Empowerment and People with Disabilities. Others are, Legal Affairs and Human Rights; and Trade, Customs and Free Movement, which held earlier in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The Parliament said it is disturbed by the growing number of vulnerable children compelled to beg, sleep in markets and bus parks, and exposed to violence and sexual abuses due to poverty and seeming indifference by the authorities.

In the resolution, they called for urgent and coordinated action to protect the children.

The lawmakers during their April meeting had examined the theme, ‘Parliamentary Approach to the Protection of Street Children and the Fight Against the Exploitation of Children in the ECOWAS Region’, and warned that street children remained one of the most neglected groups in the society exposed to some of the gravest human rights abuses.

Consequently, the Parliament called on all ECOWAS member states, not only to adopt but also implement comprehensive national strategies for street children with clear objectives, timelines, and dedicated budgetary allocations in line with international child rights standards.

It also urged governments to strengthen enforcement of child protection laws and ensure that no child lives on the streets but have access to free and inclusive education, healthcare services, mental health support, birth registration, identity documents and child-friendly justice systems.

They stressed the need to tackle the root causes of the crisis by expanding social protection programmes for vulnerable families, particularly single-parent households affected by poverty, displacement and family breakdown.

They further recommended preventive measures such as community child protection mechanisms, parental support services, psychosocial assistance and public awareness campaigns to combat discrimination and social exclusion.

The Parliament equally directed ECOWAS Commission to develope a harmonised regional framework on street children to guide member states and ensure a coordinated response across the subregion.

The Commission was also urged to strengthen regional coordination through collaboration with governments, civil society organisations, and development partners while expanding the ECOWAS Child Rights Information Management System to support data-driven policymaking and accountability.

Considering the cross-border nature of child trafficking and exploitation, the Parliament called for referral systems, safe repatriation protocols and information-sharing mechanisms among member states to better protect children on the move.

Other demands include increased capacity-building support for national institutions in child protection, child-friendly justice and law enforcement.

The Speaker, ECOWAS Parliament, Memounatou Ibrahim, was mandated to transmit the resolution and the report of the joint committee to the President of the ECOWAS Commission for onward submission to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers.

The Session, which began on May 4, touched on several issues affecting the region and made several recommendations, which if given attention, will address some of the challenges confronting the region.