UNICEF concerned over rejection of children's bill

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has expressed concern at the rejection of Nigeria's first Children's Bill by the country's House of Representatives. A news release on Friday quoted the officer-in-charge of UNICEF Nigeria, Roger Wright, as saying the decision was a blow to efforts to ensure that all children in the country fully enjoyed their rights. "As one of the very first countries to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in the early 1990s, it is very disappointing that Nigeria is still, in 2002, debating what is the right Children's Bill to legitimate the CRC into Nigerian law," Wright said. He said Nigeria had been prominently represented at last May's UN Special Session on Children in New York, reaffirming the highest-level commitment to children's needs and rights. "Even as recently as a month ago, Nigerians were celebrating a national summit for children as part of this year's National Day celebrations," he noted. "I hope that this is only a small step backwards, and that the next steps forward to the eventual passage of the Children's Bill will be bold and will place Nigeria where it belongs - in the forefront of children's development in Africa," Wright added. The bill, sponsored by the government, seeks to protect the rights of children against all forms of abuse, whether by parents, guardians or other individuals. It was rejected by the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Some parliamentarians said it was not in tune with the country's religious diversity and that a law on children's rights could make them lawless, news organisations reported. The debate on the draft law had polarised legislators: those from the North argued against it while those from the South applauded its intentions, The Guardian reported. Proponents said the bill would heighten the responsibility of the government in catering for the needs of less privileged children. Its detractors argued that no law would change people's religious beliefs with regard to bringing up children and that any such changes, if positively motivated, would have to be gradual.