Nigeria is facing a child rights crisis, UNICEF said on the eve of the Day of the African Child 2020, with the theme of “Access to a Child-Friendly Justice System in Africa”.

“More than 36,000 child victims of violence, including 5,693 survivors of sexual violence (16 percent), were identified and documented in seven states of Nigeria since 2017. But very few of those cases made it to the courtrooms, let alone resulted in justice for child victims,” according to a UNICEF statement issued on Monday in Abuja.

“At the same time,” according to the statement, “the number of children awaiting trial for what are often petty crimes is estimated to be more than 1,000 – with children often held in detention with adults and in conditions that no child should live in.

“This week, experts in various fields will discuss these and other issues related to the need to develop a child-friendly justice system in Nigeria. No fewer than 800 participants and panelists will deliberate and develop strategies to address the challenge of ensuring that children can access a justice system that considers their special needs and their rights.”

Peter Hawkins, UNICEF’s Representative in Nigeria, said: “Access to a child-friendly justice system is essential for protecting children’s rights and addressing violence against children. Without access to a child-friendly justice system, children’s rights will remain elusive - and as a society, we cannot serve the best interests of children, especially in the face of violations of their rights.”

On June 16 every year, the African Union and its partners celebrate the Day of the African Child (DAC) in commemoration of the 1976 protests by school children in Soweto, South Africa. The students protested an education designed to further the purposes of the apartheid regime. The brutal response of the apartheid security agencies to the unarmed students’ protests resulted in the death of several them. The 1976 protests contributed greatly to the eventual collapse of the apartheid regime. In 1991, the African Union Assembly passed a resolution designating 16 June as a Day for the celebration of the African child.

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