Rights Academy

16/09/2026

Children Are Rights Holders.

Children are individuals with rights that deserve to be respected and protected at all times.

Every child deserves safety, education, dignity, and the right environment to thrive. No child should suffer abuse, neglect, exploitation, or discrimination under the excuse of discipline, tradition, or parental authority.

The Child Rights Law makes it clear that violating children's rights has legal consequences. Those who abuse, exploit, or deny children their rights must be held accountable.

Protecting children is not just a moral duty, but a legal responsibility.

Every child matters. Every right counts.

16/09/2026

📌

📢 𝙒𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙒𝙚𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧

Cross River State is home to some of Nigeria’s most important and biodiverse rainforest ecosystems. Yet, these forests are under increasing pressure from illegal and unsustainable logging, agricultural expansion, infrastructure development, wildlife exploitation and weak enforcement. The Cross River State Forestry Law, 2010, was enacted to provide a framework for the conservation and management of the State’s forests. However, changing environmental, climate, economic and governance realities have exposed important gaps in the existing legal framework. To advance the conversation on urgently needed reforms, We the People is convening a webinar on the theme- “Cross River State Forestry Law: Policy Gaps and Reform Priorities”.

The webinar will examine the gaps in the 2010 Forestry Law and highlight priority reforms needed to create stronger, more effective and participatory frameworks for forest governance. The discussion will also seek to advance the adoption of the recently published Review of the Cross River State Forestry Law, 2010, which contains key recommendations for reform for a modernized forestry law.

Date: Thursday 17th September 2026
Time: 11am (90mins)
Register here: https://bit.ly/4dfcoaO

07/09/2026

The Rights Academy successfully concluded the 3rd Cohort of the Junior Rights Academy, bringing together adolescents aged 10–17 for an engaging learning experience focused on child rights, self-awareness, values, climate change and environmental protection.

Beyond the classroom, participants learned practical waste-sorting skills and transformed paper and plastic waste into creative art.
They also visited Drill Ranch, where they explored wildlife conservation, and We the People’s mangrove restoration site in Idundu, where they learned about the importance of mangroves to marine life and local communities.

The young participants were encouraged to take these lessons home, share what they learned and promote environmentally friendly practices in their homes, schools and communities.

To celebrate their commitment and participation, each participant received a certificate at the end of the programme.

We remain committed to empowering young minds to know their rights, protect their environment and create change.

02/09/2026

After one of our school outreach sessions, where we engaged children on their rights and the provisions of the Cross River State Child Rights Law, we took a moment to hear directly from some of the children.

Here’s what they had to say. 👇🏽

02/09/2026

On the Last day of August 2026, Cohort 5 scholars of the Rights Academy embarked on an educational excursion to Afokang Correctional Centre.

The visit gave our scholars a firsthand opportunity to learn about the realities of life within a correctional facility and gain a deeper understanding of human rights, access to justice, dignity, rehabilitation, and the challenges within the criminal justice system.
The scholars took a tour of the entire facility, visiting different units and sections while learning about the experiences of persons deprived of their liberty and the work of correctional personnel.

One of the major issues that stood out was overcrowding and the high number of inmates awaiting trial, helping the scholars connect their classroom lessons with the real-life experiences of people within the correctional system.

27/08/2026

Call for Entries: Junior Rights Academy Cohort 3

Young passionate individuals (10-16 years old) in Calabar, are you ready to make a difference? The Rights Academy, Calabar, invites you to submit your original work in:

- Drawings: Environmental challenges and solutions
- Poems: Environmental themes (max 30 lines)
- Essays: Environmental challenges and solutions (handwritten, 300-500 words)

Guidelines:

- Reside in Calabar and aged 10-16
- Address the theme "Environmental Challenges and What We Can Do"
- Original work only; plagiarism will disqualify
- 15 best entries selected to join in person training session that starts on Monday 31st August and ends on Friday 4th September, 2026
-

Closing Date: Saturday, August 29, 2026

Submit:

- We the People Office Calabar (60 MCC opposite Mirage)
- WhatsApp ( 07086647087)

Empower yourself to advocate for environmental protection and sustainable living. Share your creativity and ideas on environmental issues!

03/08/2026

On Wednesday, July 29, 2026, The Rights Academy, through its Child Rights Protection Group, paid a strategic advocacy and fact-finding visit to the Cross River State Child Rights Law Implementation Committee (SCRIC) as part of our ongoing commitment to strengthening child protection systems across the state.
The Committee, chaired by the Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hon. Edema Irom, plays a critical role in coordinating the implementation of the Cross River State Child Rights Law and ensuring that every child is protected, supported, and given the opportunity to thrive.
The engagement provided valuable insights into the realities facing institutions responsible for protecting children and highlighted the importance of stronger partnerships between government agencies, civil society organizations, and communities in advancing children's rights.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to advocating for stronger child protection systems.

13/07/2026

The first session of the Rights Academy cohort 5 was a call to action, and set the tone for the journey ahead.

Together with Ken Henshaw, participants explored what it means to be a countercultural activist: confront injustice, and challenge the systems and norms that sustain inequality and environmental destruction.

One message rang clear: there is no activism without action. Participants were urged to find their “why”, a purpose rooted in genuine care for people and the planet, because the work of transformation is difficult, slow, and often uphill. It is this deep conviction that sustains movements and turns dissent into lasting change.
This is where the journey begins!

What is your WHY?

10/07/2026

Last weekend, the Rights Academy welcomed its fifth cohort into a growing movement of young people determined to confront injustice and build a society rooted in dignity, equality, and ecological justice.
Over the next 13 weeks, participants will engage in critical learning, field experiences, and practical advocacy on human rights and environmental justice.

The Rights Academy exists to cultivate a new generation of informed, skilled, and socially conscious young leaders who are empowered to advance human rights and environmental justice while boldly challenging oppressive systems and the status quo.

To Cohort 5: welcome to the movement. Your voices, your courage, and your collective action are needed now more than ever.

01/07/2026

The presence of children living on the streets of Calabar is not a crime. It is evidence of a society that has abandoned its most basic responsibilities.
No child chooses the street. Children end up there because social protection systems have failed, and the government has neglected its constitutional and moral duty to safeguard every child's welfare.

Criminalizing children for surviving institutional failure is both unjust and cruel. A child without a home needs protection, care, education, and opportunity, not arrest, detention, or public condemnation. When the state treats vulnerable children as offenders instead of rights holders, it is punishing the victims while excusing the systems that failed them.

The true scandal is not that children are on the streets. The true scandal is that the government has allowed conditions that force children onto the streets in the first place.
A society should be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable. If we fail our children, we fail our future.

The government and all relevant institutions must stop criminalizing poverty and start investing in protection, rehabilitation, education, and family support. Children deserve justice, dignity, and hope, not handcuffs.