The Deputy Director, Child Development ,Federal Ministry of Women Affairs , Ali Andrew Madugu represented by the Deputy Director,Girl Child Development, Musa Aliyu Musa, has appealed to Kano and Zamfara states to join others in passing the child rights law.
Magudu said this at a Two-Day meeting to develop a report of the environmental impact assessment of the child rights law in the north west.
He said that the passage of the child rights law would be in the best interest of the child.
He also called on participants to contribute to the discussions to enable the development of an enriched report.
” As we are all aware, Nigeria as a member of the United Nations ratified the Convention on the Right of the Child (UNCRC) on March 21, 1991. Nigeria also signed and ratified the African Union Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (AUCRWC) in 2001.
” As a state party to the convention, Nigeria is obliged to take all legislative and administrative measures required for its implementation.
” In compliance with this obligation, Nigeria enacted the Child Rights Act (CRA) in July, 2003. The Act domesticates the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) , the African Union Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (AUCRWC) and strengthens the various States legislation dealing with individual aspects of child protection.
“The provision of this act supersedes all legislations created concerning issues involving a child,” he said.
Magudu said that Nigeria was legally bound to develop periodic reports on the Implementation of the UNCRC before the Committee of Experts in Geneva, hence developed and presented the initial 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th combined periodic and its concluding observation.
“The 5th, 6th and 7th Periodic Reports is outstanding against Nigeria.
” Nigeria also developed the 1st, 2nd and 3rd African Union (AU) Periodic Reports in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2019.
” The development of responses to observations raised by the committee of experts on the AU Charter on the Rights of the Child is ongoing by the National Child Implementation Committee.
” This meeting to develop report from the North west zone therefore becomes very important as it will form part of data and the National report that will be developed by the National Child Rights Implementation Committee,” he added.
The director however appreciated the states that had passed the Child Rights Law to ensure effective implementation by establishment of family Courts .
