INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD ACCESS TO A CHILD FRIENDLY JUSTICE SYSTEM IN AFRICA: NIGERIA SITUATION IN PERSPECTIVE
INTRODUCTION
In William Wordsworth’s 1802 poem, My Heart Leaps Up, he states that, ‘The child is the father of the man”. By this profound statement, it is established that the growth of any race, nation or creed can be predicated on the rearing socially, culturally and by the psychological make-up of the children of such a society. In order to achieve this lofty goal, due attention must be paid to this category of members of African society. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child states that “a child is a human being below
the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child.” The rearing must be multifaceted and multi-disciplinary; this include education, health, emotional stability, etc. Above all, there must be a child friendly Justice Administration.
OVER ALL PROTECTION
As human race is continually evolving, diverse issues are ceaselessly surfacing. At different stages of these developments, children are always caught dependent on the society that is struggling to adapt and adjust to the new situation. As a result of their vulnerability, children must be protected from the old issues such as armed conflicts, communal clashes, war, hunger, domestic violence, divorce, separation, etc. as well as the new emerging issues such as child trafficking, child labour, child soldiering, child pornography, cyber bullying, sexual abuse, etc.
The most alarming is the sexual abuse, not even from strangers and neighbours but by supposedly trusted members of the family. All these can be said to be diverse manifestations of violence. Violence, according to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation including sexual abuse. The settings
range from home, the workplace, educational and training institutions, the community or society.
