Protection of right of every child is a matter of priority – LASG

The Lagos State Government at the weekend said Nigerians must recognize that the protection of the rights of every child is a matter of priority.

The Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Titilayo Shita-Bey said this at the event marking the 2021 Human Rights Day in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

The theme of this year’s event is “The Year of Socio-Economic Renewal and Nation Building.” The event was organised by the Directorate of Citizen’s Right.

Shita-Bey said in every Nigerian child lies the seed of greatness, extraordinary qualities and excellence and that children were entitled to various rights such as good education, health care, play and recreation, adequate standard of living, a safe home and protection from abuse and harm.

“These special sets of rights are to cater for their vulnerability and to ensure that adults take responsibility for their protection and development. In protecting the rights of children, Lagos State enacted the Child’s Right Law which ensures that their rights are well protected. We must all recognize that the protection of the rights of every child is a matter of priority.

“We must encourage them to take pride in their individuality and continue to reinforce this idea as they grow older so that they will learn to celebrate the unique qualities in themselves and in others. This is a way of empowering them with knowledge, skills and self-confidence necessary for them to participate in the development process at all levels in the society,” she said.

According to Shita-Bey, “We also need to focus on our children’s positive behaviours and achievements and reward them with praise as this often breeds more positive behaviours and empowers them to make better choices while building their self-esteem.”

Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Olayinka Adeyemi, who delivered a paper, titled, “Respect for Human Right: An Imperative Socio-economic Renewal and Nation Building,” said it was not in doubt that proper observance and enforcement of Human Rights shall enhance human development with attendant peace and progress in every civilised society.

“Human rights add value to the agenda for development by drawing attention to the accountability to respect, protect, promote and fulfil all human rights of all people. It, in turn, contributes to the human rights-based approach to development

“Human rights based approach will further generally lead to better analysed and more focused strategic interventions by providing the normative foundation for tackling fundamental development issues,” she said.

Adeyemi emphasised that there is no doubt that failure to recognise human rights in any nation is a design for societal destruction as had been seen in the History of the world and indeed at municipal level.

“This is the reason the Lagos State Government does everything at its disposal towards ensuring that human rights of every person is respected,” she said.