NHRC/UNICEF partner on child rights violation in North–east

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is to lead UNICEF and other critical stakeholders in the campaign against child rights violations in Nigeria, particularly in the North-Eastern part of the country.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof. Bem Angwe gave this assurance when a delegation from UNICEF led by its country representative, Jane Gough paid a courtesy visit to the Commission.

Prof Angwe who expressed deep concern about the human rights and humanitarian condition of women and children especially in the North-Eastern part of the country following the instability in the region promised to ensure the effective implementation of Child Rights Act in the various States of the Federation which are yet to commence the implementation of this law.

The Executive Secretary emphasized that the Commission would do everything within its mandate to ensure that Child Justice Administration (CJA) is fully adopted in Nigeria to avoid a situation where children who have come in conflict with the law are still being prosecuted under the criminal justice system rather than Child Justice Administration that takes into consideration the best interest of children.

Earlier, the Country Representative of UNICEF, Gough expressed worries over the difficult challenges being faced by children in the North-Eastern part of the country saying that most of them are afraidto go to school for fear of being killed or bombed by the members of the Boko Haram Sect.

She also expressed concern about the number of people reported killed almost on daily basis in the region saying that UNICEF and other stakeholders need to carry out a verification exercise to ascertain the true situation on ground. Hence she noted that they would partner with the National Human Rights Commission in gauging the particulars of the violence in the troubled region.