UNICEF, Cross River partner over better deal for children

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with the Cross River State Government is to promote family court procedures to protect children in conflict with the law.

Speaking in Calabar during the Final Validation of Family Court Procedure Rules for the state, the UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Enugu, Ibrahim Conteh said as part of UNICEF’s efforts in protecting children’s right, it is partnering with the state judiciary to grant legal process that would support children who are in conflict with the law.

Conteh said: “This meeting is part of the efforts to make sure the Child Rights Court is being established so that when children are in conflict with the law, we ensure there is a legal process to support them and ensure justice is being done.

“We will continue to support the efforts to ensure children realise their rights and since Cross River is one of our focal states, we are working with government to ensure that children realise their rights.

“The child justice area is one of the areas where we continue to engage with government to achieve this.

While commending the UNICEF for being the voice of the children in the society, the Family Court Judge for Calabar, Justice Maurice Eneji, said the global organisation had been 10 ten years in the area of child rights and justice.

He said with the final validation of the family court procedures, every child found in conflict with the law would be tried in a proper environment where he or she will be free from harassment or intimidation.

According to him, there are provisions wherein custodial sentences are dealt with so that children do not go to correctional centres like adults.