‘It’ll safeguarding rights of children’ – UNICEF asks Zamfara govt to domesticate Child Rights Act

The United Nations International Children Emergency Funds (UNICEF) has urged the Zamfara State Government to domesticate the Child Rights Act to ensure safety and protection of children in the state.

The UNICEF Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Ruhnan Murtaza, in a statement on Friday in Gusau, said that the domestication of the Child Protection Bill in Zamfara would play a greater role in safeguarding the rights of children.

He said the bill would also ensure that parents, caregivers and authorities across the spectrum fulfilled their obligation to protect children and prioritise access to health, education.

According to Murtaza, 29 states in the country have so far domesticated the act into law, while the remaining eight states including Zamfara are yet to domesticate the act.

“The remaining eight states are; Adamawa, Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Kebbi, Yobe, Kano and Zamfara”, Murtaza said.

He, however, noted that most of the remaining states were in the process of domesticating the act while some states had passed it into law.

Murtaza said he had also observed a rise in sexual abuse of children, child labour, and child trafficking, describing it as another serious concern.

“The ugly acts made children to be unsafe and subjected to trauma that can have lifelong impact on them,’’ he said. (NAN)