Chapter 11: Too Late or Too Soon? Evaluation of the Role of the African Children’s Committee in the Use of Digital Technologies in the Promotion and Protection of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of the Girl Child in Africa

The digital world presents an opportunity to enhance the enjoyment of children’s rights. The commemoration of the Day of the African Child 2023 highlighted the rights of the child in the digital environment, urging state parties to leverage technology while also protecting children’s rights. Similarly, various organisations have taken the lead in researching technology and children’s rights in both online and offline environments. Against the backdrop of these initiatives, and with a particular focus on the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (African Children’s Charter), this chapter adopts a doctrinal approach. It sets the scene on the trinity of digital technology, the promotion and protection of the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of the child and the place of the girl child. This is followed by a critique of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child’s position on digital technologies, the protection of the SRHR of girls, and the normative guidance that follows therefrom. Finally, an evaluation of the jurisprudence of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, along with concluding steps on how to leverage normative and jurisprudential initiatives concerning digital technologies in the promotion and protection of SRHR, follows.