Changing Policy
Locally-led advocacy for street children's rights
Championing local voices to drive global change
At the Consortium for Street Children, we believe that sustainable, impactful change starts in communities. That’s why we are committed to supporting and enabling advocacy led by those who are, or have been, street-connected and the people and organisations closest to them – our network members.
Why locally-led advocacy matters
Locally-led advocacy ensures that changes to laws, policies, and other interventions are rooted in lived experience. Local organisations and children with experience of the streets understand the unique challenges of their circumstances. They are best placed to identify priorities, influence decision-makers, and lead the change needed to protect and promote the rights of street-connected children.
Supporting advocacy from the streets up means:
- Street children have a voice in shaping the policies and services that affect their lives
- Local organisations are empowered to lead policy dialogue and law reform
- National and regional advocacy is strengthened by reliable, community-drive insights
How CSC supports locally-led advocacy
CSC plays a catalytic role with and for our network members in enabling locally-driven action.
We do this by:
- Building capacity
We provide training and tools that strengthen the advocacy skills of our network members and the street-connected children they work with - Facilitating participation
We create platforms for street-connected children and local partners to engage with national governments, regional bodies, and global institutions like the United Nations. - Coordinating collective action
Through joint campaigns such as the International Day for Street Children, we provide focal points to drive coordinated change on a global scale
Impact in action
From influencing birth registration policy in Bangladesh to engaging with regional human rights mechanisms in West Africa, our network members are successfully advocacy for systemic change – led by those closest to the issue.
Case study – the West Africa Strategic Advocacy Group
Members of the WASAG during a 2-day workshop in July 2025
In line with CSC’s 2024-29 strategy, which explicitly outlines supporting and enabling locally-led advocacy by partners, network members and street-connected children, we set up the West Africa Strategic Advocacy Group (WASAG). This region was chosen as the first advocacy group due to the mix of active network members and social and political movements which were viewed as positive opportunities in advancing street-connected children’s rights.
The West Africa Strategic Advocacy Group represents a coalition of 16 grassroots civil society organisations across five countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Togo and Sierra Leone) committed to turning legal rights into lived realities for street connected children across West Africa.
The WASAG held its first regional workshop in Accra in July 2025 to exchange promising practice, strategise on scaling up regional advocacy and map out future action. The WASAG is strategically identifying and leveraging multilateral engagement opportunities through UN and African Union mechanisms to advance access to justice and strengthen rights for street connected children in the region, ensuring their voices are not only heard but compel action and drive systemic change. The group has jointly submitted evidence to inform the UN General Comment No. 27 on Access to Justice, the proposed Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on pre-primary and secondary education, the recent UN inquiry into sexual exploitation of children in street situations and engaged the African Union on digitalising birth registration.
Their proven record of success in national contexts is being leveraged for coordinated regional advocacy. Following sustained campaigning, Ghana has adopted a five-year national strategy on street connected children post-2024 elections; Sierra Leone passed the Child Rights Act 2024 and new diversion policies; and the WASAG played a critical role in shaping a key ECOWAS ruling on discriminatory vagrancy laws that is driving regional legal reform campaigns. This integrated, child-rights based model represents a scalable, African-led movement for justice reform grounded in local leadership, collaboration, and safe and meaningful child participation.
Join us in supporting locally-led change
We are proud to work with a vibrant, global network of local organisations who are experts in their context and passionate about securing the rights of street-connected children.
If you’re an organisation working with street children and interested in advocacy support, or a donor looking to fund sustainable, locally-driven change, we’d love to hear from you.