Child Rights Act: UNICEF commends Kebbi State Government, urges its full implementation

Child Rights Act: UNICEF commends Kebbi State Government, urges its full implementation

By Linda Ike

Kebbi State Government has joined other thirty states in Nigeria to domesticate the Child Rights Act (CRT) passed by the National Assembly in 2003.

The Child Rights Protection Bill was signed into law
by the Kebbi state Governor, Senator Abubakar Bagudu during the weekly Executive Council Meeting at the Council Chambers of Government House, Birnin Kebbi.

Governor Bagudu also signed into law, the Prohibition of Violence Against Individuals bill.

In a statement issues by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on August 8, 2022 indicated that by signing the Child Rights bill into law, Kebbi State has joined the group of states which have a legislative framework through the domestication of the Nigeria Child Rights Act.

UNICEF commended Kebbi State Government for enacting the law and called for the allocation and release of adequate resources as well as put in place mechanisms for full implementation of the law to grant children the rights enshrined in it.

“We congratulate the government and people of Kebbi State on this momentous achievement. By providing legislation that protects the rights of its children, Kebbi State has taken the right decision to provide its children the enabling environment to thrive and reach their full potential,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.

“Putting in place this law is good but just the first step. The Kebbi State Government must take the next important step by putting in place structures and allocating resources for its full implementation. UNICEF urges that the law be gazetted without delay,” added Hawkins.

“On its part, UNICEF will continue to collaborate with the Kebbi State Government on interventions that contribute to the fulfillment of the rights of children, including the implementation of the Kebbi State Child Rights Law. UNICEF calls on the States that are yet to domesticate the Nigeria Child Rights Act to do so without any further delay,” said UNICEF.

It also noted that Thirty-one States have so far enacted the state equivalents of the Child Rights Act. Five States are yet to domesticate the law: Adamwa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano and Zamfara.

Recalled that in 2003, Nigeria’s National Assembly enacted the Child Rights Act (CRA), which derives from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to which Nigeria is a signatory; and all of Nigeria’s 36 States are expected to domesticate the law, but not all States in Nigeria have domesticated the law.

In an effort to contribute to the fulfilment of children’s rights in Nigeria, UNICEF, said in collaboration with partners, it has been supporting government at the State and Federal levels to put in place laws and policies which address child rights issues, stating that the Kebbi State Child Protection Law is one of the results of such efforts.