The motto and activities of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) championed by United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) brings to the fore, a reflection on child rights on Children's Day. Children's Day come and go but hardly do we take in the lessons of the event.
Before revisiting the ethos of UNICEF as a panacea for child-rights abuses in Nigeria, it is essential to go memory lane and view with hindsight what children of yesteryears enjoyed which contemporary kids are missing.
To be sure, from the 80's to the late 90's, there was a high premium on child-related issues. The last three decades enjoyed an overflow of good feeling from parents and guardians towards their children. That attitude is thanks to african traditional values which were taught at home and galvanised in schools.
Aside from the fact that there were minimal cases of abuses in the country at the time, the African thinking that children are a blessing from God made people careful in rough-handling these precious souls. It is in this light that families which had no children were considered abnormal. On the home front, children were taught the values of hard work, sincerity and patriotism. The commitment to country made children proud of the national colours: Green, White, Green. The sight of the National Flag or the sound of the National Anthem produced an electrifying effect which left every child with the impression that Nigeria is the only country in the world. Going back in time brings back sweet memories of what it felt like being a child in the 80's. Every child looked up to 27th May as Children's Day Celebration was like Christmas or Sallah. The thought of your school participating in the event was enough enthusiasm.To be selected as one of the pupils who will be part of the match past was the privilege of a lifetime. What use to heighten our moods was the presence of the governor if it was done at the state level or Local Government Chairman if it took place at the Local Government level. To see the First Citizen of the state or even have a handshake with him was why any child who eventually did not make the list of those participating in the parade was considered a blessing from heaven. The roles of parents, educators and government at that time in providing logistics for Children's Day Celebrations was noteworthy. What is more, government provided children parks for the relaxation of kids. Holidays were always exploited in terms of holidaymakers visiting sites like the Old Zoo and Wild Life Park in Jos in the company of Dad, Mum and friends. Importantly too, such recreational activities provided children with an opportunity to interact with their friends and family. Just as the saying goes: "All work and no play makes jack a dull boy," playing at parks during public holidays enabled the kids to know the other side of life. Both public and private schools were to a large extent epicentres of knowledge as excellence was the watchword - the provision of free textbooks, sports and recreational activities in most schools further made going to school interesting. If a child missed school because he was sick, he felt lonely at home wishing to recovery and go back to school. Sadly today, we hear of incessant abduction of children by people who are supposed to be either parents or guardians or responsible for the protection of the rights of children. The abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls and the recent cases of the abduction of Ese Oruru and Alheri Bawa among others further puts to question the international human rights treaty for children in Nigeria.
It is shocking to note how the traditional African values which were inculcated to children is currently suffering a major setback. In Nigeria, some people engage in child trafficking as well as the forceful marriage of underaged kids. Forced labour ranging from carrying out chores meant for adults to molestation such as beating children with a whip, putting pepper in their eyes or cutting their hands with a razor because they stole meat in the pot are recurrent decimals in our country. The gradual encroachment of western values which encourage single parenthood is also taking its toll on children. Most single parents end up leaving the children at the mercy of willing philanthropists most of whom are rare to come by. Most times, the government does not allocate money or invest in child-related issues. Hardly do we hear or watch children's parliament on radio and or TV. The moribund Children Parks in various states is a metaphor for the negligence of the plight of children in Nigeria. On a day like this, we need to domesticate UNICEF's template for the rights of children. As the complete statement of children’s rights ever produced, the charter of child rights remains the most widely-ratified international human rights treaty in history.
In1989, governments the world over, in a 54-articles' Convention promised that all children have the same rights. It indicates that "a child needs to survive, grow, and live up to their potential in the world" while noting that "they apply equally to every child, no matter who they are or where they come from."
The United Nations had hoped that the charter would change the way children are viewed and treated in the world. The Convention desired that "children are treated as human beings with a distinct set of rights instead of as passive objects of care and charity." If the provisions of the Convention would see the light of day, children's rights must be taken holistically - food, shelter, clothing, civic and religious education and basic medical care. Other aspects of children's rights namely, political, economic, social and cultural rights must never be taken likely. All children, especially those affected by the insurgency in the North-East which as a result have become Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) must be shown care and love - the same with people children who are destitution as almajiri and touts, roaming the streets.
All UN member states must take responsibility for ensuring that the provisions of the charter are fulfilled. It is the responsibility of parents and guardians, traditional and religious leaders to protect the Nigerian-child from any kind of abuse.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child provides that adults and governments must form a synergy to ensure that all children enjoy all their rights to full capacity. Human traffickers and those who molest children ought to be brought to book. Is not surprising that after enacting the Child's Rights Act of 2003 in the Nigeria many states are yet to adopt Federal Nigerian Child's Rights Act into local law? Perhaps states needs to be reminded that they enjoy exclusive legislative jurisdiction over matters of child law under the Nigerian Constitution which is the more reason why the Child's Rights Act of 2003 needs to be fully implemented by all states in the country. Agencies responsible for the general welfare of our children must act fast to safe the Nigerian-child. Our children must be loved, cherished and nourished - don't forget to give them the good things we had in our days - Happy Children's Day!
Fr. Justine Dyikuk is a freelancer, blogger and the Director of Social Communications of the Catholic Diocese of Bauch[
No comments:
Post a Comment