The United Nations system in Nigeria has sent delegation of UN Security Council Working Group on Children encountered in the course of Armed Conflict to liaise with the federal ministry of women affairs on evolving better policies towards the protection of children in armed conflicts.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Monilola Udoh, while hosting the UN delegation said that the Child Rights Act, (CRA), has been domesticated in all the states of the federation except one.
She made this known during the meeting, yesterday in Abuja.
According to her. “The attacks on schools during armed conflict started globally in 2009. In Nigeria, the major attacks began 2014-2015 in the North-East as the result of the activities of terrorist groups, which left so many children out of school.
“Government’ is commited to ensuring the general well-being of children and to ensure that our schools are safe and in pursuant to section 15 of the Child Right’s Act, which gives the child the right to free, compulsory and universal primary education. The Federal Government of Nigeria, through inter-agency collaboration has taken the following necessary actions:
Leader of the visiting delegation and UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative, Cristian Munduate said the findings of the delegation will be presented to the UN security council in New York for further recommending and action.
She said “We will base our conclusions on UN verified information.”
The meeting is expected to afford both parties an exchange on the iwork of protecting children in armed conflict, especially the development and endorsement of the handover protocol for the transfer of children encountered during military operations signed between the federal government of Nigeria and UN System in Nigeria including UNICEF.
