Chioma Umeha
Three decades after Nigeria adopted the Convention
on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the
Bill is still existing in papers in many of the States as only 25 of them have
ratified it, even as 12 States, mainly from the North are yet to domesticate the
law.
This is just as anxious child protection experts
announced to journalists on Monday that poverty, community disintegration,
family dysfunction, and child vulnerability are drawbacks to the actualisation
of the Child Rights Laws in the country.
According to them, failure in meeting the
developmental needs of the Nigerian children makes him a victim of several
forms of violence, the consequence is non-implementation of the Act in the
country.
Among the experts was Sharon Oladiji, Child
Protection Specialist, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said at a
two-day media dialogue on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC@30)
held in Lagos who gave a breakdown of the slow trend in the Bill’s
domestication.
She noted that 11 out of the 36 states of the
federation, in addition to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have not
domesticated the Act bringing the number to 12.
Providing further analysis, Oladiji said, the 11
states are all from the north, including, Sokoto, Kano, Zamfara, Kaduna, Jigawa,
Katsina, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, Adawama and Gombe.
“Only eight states out of the North’s 19 states
have domesticated the Act. They are: Niger, FCT, Nasarawa, Taraba, Benue,
Plateau, Kwara and Kogi and all 17 states in the south have domesticated the Act.
While Jigawa state had earlier domesticated the
Act, but repealed it thereafter, Oladiji
observed in her presentation, titled; “Topic: ‘Domestication of the CRC; the
CRA legal framework,’ at the dialogue organised by the Child Rights Information
Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, in
collaboration with UNICEF.
The Child Protection Specialist stressed; “We must
promote all opportunities that will help sound development in children. Lack of
access to developmental need is detrimental to the rights of children.”
Oladiji further said that investing in a child is
paramount for Nigeria and Africa as a whole to realize the right of the
burgeoning child population, adding that a healthy development of a child is
crucial to the future wellbeing of any nation.
“Special attention is required for Nigeria which
is the country with the largest increase in absolute numbers of both birth and
child population, it is time we acknowledge our shared responsibility and
address this issue.”
Olumide Osanyipeju, Director, Child Rights
Information Bureau (CRIB) Federal Ministry of Information in his remarks, said
that the UN Convention on the rights of the child is a comprehensive statement
which would be binding under international law and became necessary with
reports of grave injustice suffered by children.
The prejudices he said, ranged from high infant
mortality, deficient health care, limited opportunities for basic education,
alarming accounts of children being abused and exploited as prostitutes or in
harmful jobs, Children in prison or in other difficult circumstances.
He added that it is equally worthy to note that it
has really been an uphill task bringing to fruition the total realisation of
children’s rights in our society, especially in the rural terrains which
constitute the bulk of our society and where a vast majority of our people are
not literate.
“The situation that stares us in the face is the
tall order to bring our people to understand that children deserve as many
fundamental rights as the adults, and the need to protect the rights of our
children at risk of deprivations of basic social benefits, in exploitative and
difficult circumstances, and even mortality.”
Mrs. Blessing Ejiofor, UNICEF Communication
Officer, stated the objectives of the workshop which include; taking advantage
of CRC@30 anniversary to renew alliances and inspire broader movements for
children across the media in Nigeria, introduce the global CRC@30 campaign and
highlight UNICEF Nigeria’s engagement plans.
Others are how the media can support the campaign
and provide a platform to review media advocacy on children’s rights in Nigeria
vis-a-vis the CRC, identify and plan new ways to push for increased financial
and non-financial investments in children with a focus on emerging trends and
threats to childhood in this millennium.
Also, UNICEF Chief of Communication, Eliana
Drakopoulos, said media has a role to play in this global campaign adding, CRC
was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations by its resolution of
November 20, 1989, has the same meaning for people in all parts of the world.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child is a human right treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic,
social, health and cultural rights of children
She further stated; “We want to know where we are
now 30 years after the CRC. What is the stage of children’s rights? Have all the States implemented the rights of
the children? Children need to know their rights and even parents should know
as well.”
