A draft Children’s Rights Protection Proclamation proposes sweeping, enforceable reforms including mandatory nationwide reporting of child abuse, specialized child police units, and legally required budget allocations. A draft amendment presented by experts at the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs on Thursday promises a decisive shift from largely declarative child rights toward an operational protection system. The draft’s most immediate impact would come from strengthened protection and reporting provisions that establish a comprehensive abuse response chain. The draft proclamation also goes further by mandating rehabilitation and psychosocial support for affected children, transforming protection from a purely legal matter into a service obligation. The draft law strengthened legal identity provisions by tightening mandatory birth registration requirements and links identity documentation more explicitly to service access.

Source: Ethiopian News February 21, 2026 20:55 UTC