On June 16, Africa observed African Children’s Day, an occasion traditionally marked by grand declarations and promises of progress. This year’s theme centered on universal access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. In Togo, government officials dutifully participated in the customary speeches, yet behind the polished rhetoric lies a stark and disturbing reality: the regime has repeatedly responded to dissent with lethal force, often claiming the lives of children.
From Soweto to Lomé: the shadow of state-sanctioned violence
The African Children’s Day was established to honor the memory of students in Soweto who, in 1976, rose up to demand quality education and reject the forced imposition of Afrikaans. While many nations have since worked to uphold these rights, Togo’s government has weaponized repression against its youngest citizens as a means of political survival.
Ensuring the safety and dignity of children extends far beyond hollow speeches. It requires tangible measures—access to healthcare, education, and a secure environment. Yet in Togo, many mothers still deliver their babies on bare floors due to overcrowded and underfunded maternity wards. The absence of adequate infrastructure turns these facilities into precarious spaces where survival itself is uncertain.
While regional and international bodies renew their commitments to child welfare, the government of Lomé continues to suppress dissent with alarming brutality. Even children not participating in protests—simply seeking sustenance for themselves—have become targets. The result is a growing list of young victims whose lives were cut short in a cycle of violence.
Jacques Koutoglo: justice denied one year after a fatal beating
One year ago, the family of Jacques Koutoglo, a 15-year-old student, began their fight for justice. Jacques was beaten to death and his body discarded in the Bè lagoon during the initial June 2025 protests. He was not marching; he was merely searching for food to survive.
In the aftermath, Pacôme Adjourouvi, then Minister of Human Rights, initially dismissed the incident as a “natural drowning” amid the unrest. Days later, under mounting pressure, he announced an official investigation into the circumstances. The findings? Never made public. By the time the minister left office, the case remained unresolved. The refusal to permit a memorial service for Jacques has only deepened the family’s grief and sense of injustice.
Joseph Zoumekey and Rachad Maman: bullets instead of justice
The tragic fate of Joseph Zoumekey in 2017 exposed the regime’s disregard for young lives. Sent by his mother to purchase groceries in the Bè-Kpota neighborhood, the 13-year-old was struck by a live round. It took an independent autopsy by experts from Amnesty International in 2018 to confirm the official narrative—a gunshot wound—contradicting the government’s initial claims. Despite the NGO’s repeated calls for accountability, the authorities remained silent.
That same year, Rachad Maman, 14, was killed in Bafilo while walking with his father during a peaceful demonstration for democratic reforms. His death sparked global outrage, prompting a petition with thousands of signatures demanding justice. The request was ignored.
A decade of unanswered deaths: Dapaong’s forgotten victims
In the northern city of Dapaong, the memories of Anselme Sinandaré (12) and Douti Sinalengue (21) remain etched in the community’s collective pain. In 2012, both were shot dead during a peaceful student protest demanding teachers return to classrooms. More than a decade later, no official inquiry has identified the shooters within the security forces.
The pattern is clear: from the far north to the coastal capital, children’s lives are expendable in the name of political survival. Families are left shattered, their hopes for the future erased with impunity. This culture of repression has persisted across generations since the Gnassingbé family assumed power.
Togo, however, is a signatory to the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, ratified on May 5, 1998. By allowing these crimes to go unpunished and these investigations to gather dust, Lomé’s authorities send a chilling message: international commitments end where political survival begins.
