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As violence continued in the Niger Delta region, children's rights campaigners welcomed the passing into law of the Child Rights Act on 26 May in nearby Cross River state.
Suomi Sakai, head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Nigeria, told IRIN: “UNICEF heartily congratulates Cross River state. The state has now joined a vast international movement in support of children’s rights.”
Nigeria ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 and domesticated it in 2003 as the Child Rights Act. Since then 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states have passed the act into law.
The law specifies the rights and responsibilities of children and the duties and obligations of government, families and the authorities to uphold children’s rights.
Nigeria’s constitution stipulates child rights come under state responsibility, so for the act to become operational, each state must first pass it into law.
“UNICEF urges the remaining 13 [states] to now do the same,” said Sakai.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
