The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have launched a N120 million strategic partnership to provide pro bono legal representation for vulnerable children across Nigeria, amid concerns over child detention, weak referral systems and limited access to justice.

The initiative, unveiled in Abuja yesterday, is designed to mobilise lawyers nationwide to represent children who are victims of abuse, exploitation, trafficking and other violations, as well as children who come into conflict with the law.

Speaking at the launch, NBA President, Afam Osigwe, said the partnership marked a shift from broad commitments on child protection to a structured legal response capable of ensuring that vulnerable children have lawyers when they need them.

Osigwe said the absence of legal representation for children facing abuse, exploitation, neglect, trafficking, child marriage, harmful traditional practices or criminal proceedings amounted to a collective failure of society.

He challenged every NBA branch, law firm and legal practitioner to dedicate professional time and resources to child-related cases, insisting that pro bono representation should become an integral part of legal practice.

According to him, the partnership will mobilise lawyers to provide quality pro bono representation, strengthen referral pathways between justice and child-protection institutions, build lawyers’ capacity to handle child-sensitive cases and promote a justice system centred on the best interests of the child.

“This is not simply an act of charity. It is an act of justice,” Osigwe said, stressing that the true measure of the legal profession should include its ability to protect vulnerable people and strengthen public confidence in the rule of law.

He urged lawyers to ensure that a child who survives abuse has access to representation, while children unlawfully detained or denied due process are promptly defended.

Osigwe also called on lawyers to intervene where children face incarceration, stressing that children must not be detained alongside adults and should instead be placed in age-appropriate facilities.

He disclosed that the partnership, valued at N140 million, could attract additional funding from UNICEF if successfully implemented.