01/11/2024
Nigerian Government should stop violating the right of children to the dignity of their human persons
Section 11 of the Child’s Rights Act guarantees dignity of the child.
It states that, “Every child is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly, no child shall be ‐ (a) subjected to physical, mental or emotional injury, abuse, neglect or maltreatment, including s*xual abuse; (b) subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
Bad governance led to severe hunger in the land, and children came into the street to protest. They were arrested since August, 2024, and are today, the 1st of November, 2024, being prosecuted for their alleged role in the protests. If they are just being arraigned three months later, one can only imagine the sort of dehumanizing conditions they had been subjected to during their long detention. It's not surprising that some of them had to faint inside courtroom, perhaps out of the same hunger that led to their protest. So, even under their custody, the government still cannot feed these children. Which way Nigeria?
This is a government that is supposed to take the protection of children's rights as it's priority, but alas, the same government is the one dehumanizing the children, and violating their fundamental rights. The rights of the child must be respected by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
'sright
