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Lagos to review child rights law

Lagos State Government said it has commenced processes to review of the state’s Child Rights Law, 2015. The director, directorate for citizens rights, Oluwatoyin Odusanya, made the disclosure at the essay and debate competition to celebrate the Human Rights Day 2020 themed ‘Recover better, stand up for human rights’. Odusanya noted that the review was…

Lagos State Government said it has commenced processes to review of the state’s Child Rights Law, 2015.

The director, directorate for citizens rights, Oluwatoyin Odusanya, made the disclosure at the essay and debate competition to celebrate the Human Rights Day 2020 themed ‘Recover better, stand up for human rights’.

Odusanya noted that the review was necessary to fill the gaps in the law to ensure that the rights of the children in the state are protected.

“It’s important to catch the children young and let them know what human rights is all about so as they grow up, they won’t infringe on other people’s rights and ensure that their rights are protected,” Odusanya said.

“This year’s theme was derived from the pandemic; it is to encourage people to recover better emotionally and psychologically from this pandemic and the human right abuse pandemic, to ensure they’re healed through the process of knowing their right and places that are available that would assist them in enforcing their right.

“We’re sensitising children and their parents on child abuse, early marriage, and Lagos State is also in the process of reviewing the child rights law to ensure that the gaps that are within the child rights law can be filled and the rights of the children can be also protected.”

Permanent secretary in the Lagos State justice ministry Titilayo Shitta-Bey said the celebration is important to educate people about their rights in the constitution.

“As to the Children, we have legislation, the Child Rights Law and they need to know about their rights because at the end of the day if you educate your Child early enough, they will grow up knowing their rights and how to protect those rights they have,” Shitta-Bey said.

In her keynote address, Chief Magistrate Kikelomo Ayeye, noted that the judiciary has a duty of protecting the rights of the children due to their vulnerability.

While urging the state government to increase the budget allocated to the ministry and agencies working for children, Ayeye said that the failure to attend to the needs of the children will be disastrous for the country.

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