A child rights advocate and legal practitioner, Awele Ideal, has called on parents, communities, institutions, and authorities to take urgent responsibility for the protection and welfare of children, stressing that child rights are fundamental human rights that must be actively upheld.
In a statement on child rights, Ideal, a legal expert, explained that the concept of children’s rights dates back to the 18th century and has since evolved through major international instruments.
These include the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC).
These frameworks, she noted, guarantee children’s rights to survival, development, protection, and participation.
She highlighted that Nigeria’s Child Rights Act of 2003, enacted in line with international obligations, defines a child as any person under the age of 18 and places the best interest of the child as the paramount consideration in all actions concerning them.
The law, according to her, “prohibits child marriage, child labour, trafficking, exploitation, abuse, female genital mutilation, and all forms of inhuman treatment of children.”
She said: “Children are entitled to basic rights such as life, identity, education, healthcare, freedom from discrimination, protection from violence, and participation in matters affecting them.”
She also stressed that discipline must never involve physical or emotional harm, warning against corporal punishment and other abusive practices.
Speaking on child abuse, she outlined its various forms, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, trafficking, and exploitation.
She noted that such violations have long-term physical, psychological, and social consequences on children.
Ideal identified vulnerable groups such as street children, children with disabilities, orphans, child brides, trafficked children, and children in conflict with the law as being at higher risk.
The legal expert further explained that child protection is a shared responsibility involving families, communities, institutions, government, and international bodies, adding that failure at any level weakens the child protection system.
She called for effective case management, proper investigation, reporting, and referral systems to ensure justice and rehabilitation for affected children.
The legal practitioner urged society to show compassion and commitment to safeguarding children, describing them as the future of the nation whose rights and dignity must never be compromised.
