L©raba: Children Believe, in collaboration with OCADES Banfora, organized a major public declaration on Friday, April 25, 2025, in Sindou, to abandon child marriage, female genital mutilation, and all forms of violence against children. The ceremony was presided over by the High Commissioner of the province, Yacouba Sawadogo.
According to Burkina Information Agency, Children Believe, in collaboration with OCADES Banfora and with the financial support of UNICEF, organized this major public declaration in Sindou, capital of the province of L©raba. The declaration is part of a project aimed at building social consensus to accelerate the abandonment of harmful practices against children in Burkina Faso.
"This project is in its first phase and will involve 100 villages in the provinces of L©raba and Como©," stated the organization's top officials. Armande Sanou, the program director representing the regional director of Children Believe, explained that the project supports child victims to help them advocate against practices that hinder their development.
Lydie Som©, representing the executive secretary of OCADES Banfora, emphasized that the ceremony aimed to consolidate confessions of faith by religious leaders, customary leaders, and former circumcisers. This was intended to strengthen their commitment before public opinion to abandon practices such as child marriage, excision, and violence against children. The ceremony concluded with the official signing of the golden book of confessions of faith by these leaders.
Mrs. Som© highlighted that Sindou was chosen for the ceremony due to diagnoses indicating that harmful practices still persist there. In support of the initiative, around thirty bicycles were distributed to girls in the Cascades region to aid their commute to school.
The High Commissioner of L©raba, Yacouba Sawadogo, expressed his support for the ceremony's objectives, aligning it with government policy challenges. He noted that it would contribute to strengthening the promotion of children's rights in the Cascades region, particularly in L©raba.