As part of concerted efforts to further Child Right
Protection, the federal government on Tuesday, unveiled the Prosecution Guidelines
for handling cases involving children and Legal Aid Guidelines for children in
conflict with with the law and child victims.
The two national instruments were unveiled by the Attorney
General of the Federation and Minister of Justice AGF, Prince Lateef
Olasunkanmi Fagbemi in Abuja on behalf of the federal government.
According to Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, the
two instruments are aimed at strengthening the administration of justice for
children in Nigeria.
Speaking at the occasion, the AGF said the launch of the
guidelines was both timely and imperative as it reaffirmed Nigeria’s unwavering
commitment to child protection in alignment with global best practices and the
Child’s Rights Act, 2003.
He said that the guidelines represented a major stride in
institutionalizing a justice system that recognizes the distinct circumstances,
vulnerabilities, and needs of children, whether in conflict with the law, in
contact with the law, or as victims of abuse, exploitation, or other
circumstances.
Developed through a collaborative effort involving the Legal
Aid Council of Nigeria, UNICEF, and other key partners, Fagbemi explained that
the instruments emerged from extensive consultations, expert reviews, and a
shared resolve to close critical gaps in the justice delivery framework for
children.
He said that the instruments reinforced Nigeria’s
obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,
ratified in 1991 and domesticated in 2003.
The AGF lamented that while many states in Nigeriae have
adopted the Child’s Rights Law, significant implementation gaps remained,
particularly in areas of prosecution and access to legal representation for
children.
He, however, hinted that the new guidelines directly address
those challenges and bridge the gaps in justice administration in the best
interest of the children.
Giving insight into their importance, the AGF said “The
Prosecution Guidelines provide ethical, practical, and child-sensitive
standards for prosecutors. They promote discretion, dignity, and the use of
non-custodial measures such as diversion, restorative justice, and
community-based interventions.
“Prosecutors are urged to address the root causes of
offending behaviour and prioritise rehabilitation over retribution, in line
with both national and international standards.
“The Legal Aid Guidelines, on the other hand, expand access
to justice by ensuring timely and quality legal representation for children in
conflict or contact with the law, as well as for child victims.
“They define roles and procedures, promote legal literacy,
and support child-sensitive mechanisms for redress. Importantly, they reinforce
the need for perpetrators of crimes against children to be held accountable
with effective and dissuasive sanctions.
“These Guidelines promote an integrated, cross-sectoral
approach that ensures prosecutors, legal aid providers, law enforcement, social
workers, and judicial officers act cohesively in the best interests of the
child.
“Collectively, they advance President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s
vision for a reformed, rights-based, compassionate, and effective justice
system.
“I call on all federal and state actors to immediately adopt
and integrate these Guidelines into daily practice. Our objective must not be
to launch them ceremoniously only to shelve them.
“Rather, we must operationalize them—through training,
resource allocation, and institutional support—to drive meaningful reform.
The Minister thanked UNICEF, the Legal Aid Council of
Nigeria, the Nigerian Bar Association and all partners who made the two
Guidelines possible.
He charged them to continue to work together to build a
justice system where every Nigerian child, regardless of background or
circumstance, is treated with fairness, compassion, and dignity.
“These guidelines are a foundation for that promise. Our
children deserve no less”, he said.
Earlier, in her welcome address, the Director Administration
of Criminal Justice Reform Department, Fedral Ministry of Justice Mrs Leticia
Ayoola-Daniels said the event marked a significant milestone, not only because
of the documents launched but due to their profound implications.
According to her, the guidelines embodied a renewed
collective commitment to protecting children’s rights, ensuring procedural
fairness, and promoting rehabilitative and restorative justice approaches for
minors in contact with the law.
“They are practical tools that will enable justice actors to
respond consistently, lawfully, and compassionately when working with children,
reflecting core child justice principles such as the best interest of the
child, proportionality, and a preference for diversion and non-custodial
measures”, she said.
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