"Every child has the right to protection and care, regardless of their place of birth or social status." The eight sub regional inter agency summit on child protection which is ongoing at Bintumani Hotel hinges on the alienable rights of the child to protection. The first seven meetings were held under conditions of civil and political unrest in the Mano River Union countries aiming at strengthening coordination between neighbouring countries in the field of child protection. These countries have experienced violent episodes of civil unrest in the recent years, bringing about dire consequences for children in terms of being exposed to violence, exploitation and abuse.

Albeit the advent of peace children have continued to face protection problems in the field of child trafficking, child labour, sexual abuse as well as drop outs from schools. Speaking at the meeting, UNICEF country representative Geert Cappelaere welcomed participants from the MRU. "The key objective of this eight sub regional meeting on child protection is to review lessons learned on working on cross border issues over the last four years either by government or by NGOs," Cappelaere said.