UNICEF Tasks FG, States on Child Rights Act

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has tasked governments, especially at the state level, on the need to domesticate and adhere to the Child Rights Act, saying with this in place, the country stands to gain future benefits especially in education and healthcare among several others.

Emphasising the need for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be delivered by 2030,  UNICEF said there were many areas where the government needed to make progress, adding that one of such is in education.

It observed that there are far too many children in Nigeria who are not in school.

UNICEF Chief of Communications, Eliana Drakopoulous, who disclosed this in Lagos during a two-day media dialogue on Wednesday to commemorate the forthcoming  Child Rights Convention at 30, said all Nigerians needed to be aware about the convention of the rights of the child, which she said was not about children but also about the adults who are around them.

Disclosing that although there is not a single country that has been able to achieve 100 per cent adherence to the rights of every child, Drakopoulous said the rights include access to basic education,  healthcare including vaccination,  birth registration,  good food and play among others.

She said: "Domesticating the child rights act is really domesticating and promoting the rights of the child and this is from education to nutrition, to freedom of expression and every rights you know and can imagine for children,  including the rights to play and for adequate foods.

"And all these rights are incredibly important for children and enacting these rights is what will make it a reality for children in Nigeria as long as it is implemented.

"All Nigerians need to be aware about the convention of the rights of the child. It is not just about children or children's rights. Yes, children need to know their rights, but adults who are around them also need to know those rights. "These are parents, teachers, lawyers, judges,  government officials, etc. Everyone needs to know the rights children have and to be sure they are implemented.

"There are many areas where the Nigerian government needs to make progress. One very important one about Nigeria is still in the level of education.

"There are far too many children in Nigeria who are not in school, and we really want to see that improve. Support needs to be made in Nigeria. We want to see the SDGs being delivered by 2030," she said.

She added: "Things will get better once children are being adequately registered. It will be very important for them to be able to access education,  adequate healthcare, vaccination and we will really want to see this area working and stepped up,  and soon every child in Nigeria will have their birth registered."