Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has appealed to the 15 Nigerian states yet to adopt the Child Rights Act of 2003 to do so.
The 15 states are Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.
The Executive Secretary of the agency, Mr Tony Ojukwu, made the call in a statement in Abuja commemorating this year’s Children’s Day and commended the 21 states in Nigeria that have adopted the law.
Mr Ojukwu urged them to ensure that the provisions of the laws are fully implemented, noting that children deserve special attention and protection in order for them to fruitfully pass through the various stages of survival and development.
”It has become imperative for states who are yet to adopt the Child’s Rights Law to do so to avoid further violations of the rights of these vulnerable children.
”In Nigeria, the issue of out-of-school children, child labour, poor antenatal and postnatal care, child wandering, child abandonment, child denial of necessaries, Almajiri children syndrome, kidnapping, malnutrition, still rear their ugly heads.
“These, therefore, pose a serious challenge to the proper development of the child especially in states where the Child’s rights law is not in place,” he said.
He stated that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the level of vulnerability of children in most parts of the world including Nigeria where a lot of children could not continue with their education.
He added as a result of poverty and deprivation because their parents or guardians could not afford an online system of education.
“Giving priority to the rights and welfare of the child will go a long way to curtailing the rising insecurity in the country.
“When the rights of children are neglected, they may grow up bearing grudges against the society and will likely be willing tools in the hands of mischief makers and enemies of the state,” he said.
He said the commission has championed various campaigns and interventions in support of the child’s rights across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to him, NHRC has successfully handled a flurry of complaints on child’s rights violations as several measures were put in place to entrench a culture of accountability for cases of rape.
He added also that the commission is tackling other forms of sexual and gender-based violence and all forms of human rights violations in Nigeria.
