The Federal Government, Nigerian Bar Association and United Nations Children’s Fund have launched a partnership to expand access to pro bono legal services for children in conflict with the law and other vulnerable children across Nigeria.
Representing the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, at the high-level stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Monday, the Director, Administration of Criminal Justice and Reform Department in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, said access to justice was a fundamental right of every child.
Daniels said children who came into contact with the justice system, whether as victims, witnesses or alleged offenders, deserved protection and fair treatment.
“Access to justice is not a privilege, it is a fundamental right of every child,” she said. “A child who comes into contact with the law, whether as a victim, witness, or an actual offender, deserves a system that protects, not harms; that restores, not stigmatises; and that hears, not silences.”
She said Nigeria had made significant progress in establishing a legal and policy framework for child justice, citing the Child Rights Act 2003, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, state child rights laws and diversion initiatives.
