As Nigeria joins the rest of African to celebrate the 2018 Day of the African Child, the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Tony Ojukwu, has called for the prioritisation of child rights issues in national and state budgets.
Ojukwu made this statement at an event organised by the Commission in collaboration with PLAN International and National Council of Child Rights Advocates of Nigeria, to commemorate the day over the weekend in Abuja.
He stated that adequate provisions should be made in both national and state budgets for the protection and welfare of children, especially in emergency situations to guard against all forms of abuses.
The NHRC boss observed that, despite the passage of the Child Rights Act 2003 and its adoption in 25 states, as well as several legislations legally protecting the child, Nigeria like many other African countries, had continued to grapple with an inherently high incidence of child rights abuse.
He stated that with the intersecting poverty and culture, abuse and relegation of child rights issues has become so endemic and visible in our society.
According to the Executive Secretary, “there are fundamental issues affecting the child, ranging from street hawking to child marriage, female genital mutilation, child trafficking, child labour and other violent treatments meted against the child.” He therefore called for a speedy signing of the National Child Protection and Enforcement Agency (Establishment) Bill 2018 to ensure that those who violate the rights of the vulnerable group are punished in accordance with the law.
The Day of the African Child is celebrated on June 16th annually and the theme of this year’s commemoration is “Leave no Child Behind for Africa’s Development.”