Human Rights Commission seeks support for Child Right’s Law

The National Human Right Commission (NHRC), Kaduna State Office, on Monday called on communities in the state to support stakeholders’ push for the adoption of Child Right’s Law (CRL) in the state.

The commission’s Public Affairs Officer in the state, Malam Abdulgani Bala, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Zaria.

Bala told NAN on the side lines of a stakeholders’ validation meeting on the re-drafted Kaduna state 2015 Child Right Law, held in Zaria, that domesticating the law in the state was long over-due.

According to him, if passed, the law will go a long way in checking child abuse in the state.

“Previous attempts failed because of public misconception about the purpose and the significance of the law, which necessitated extensive awareness campaign by relevant stakeholders to enlighten the public.

“But not much can be achieved without community support and involvement, which remains very crucial to the eventual passage of the law.

“We are therefore soliciting the support of all communities and relevant institutions in the state, so that together, we can achieve the goal of creating an enabling environment for the development of our children,” he said.

Bala pointed out that the CRL would help institutions, organization and all stakeholders in child protection in redressing issues of child rights violations in the state.

He said that currently, institutions involved in protection and promotion of human rights, were faced with serious challenges due to absence of legal instrument that would effectively address child welfare issues.

“In most cases, where a state does not provide a law for the protection of the child, we rely on federal laws, constitution and other national and international instruments that have to do with human rights.

“But they slow down our efforts because there are no clear provisions in such instruments that specifically address child issues.

“But with the law in place, everyone will know his or her limitations, the parents, the child, care givers and all relevant authorities handling children issues.

“It will not only help in seeking redress, it will also help in educating the public on the limitations of their action; what they can do or are not supposed to do to a child.

“This will go a long way in ensuring the holistic development of a child by providing the required atmosphere to develop physically, emotionally, intellectually and socio-economically, "he said.