‘Let’s Restore Child Dignity’

Wife of the Rivers State Governor Dame Judith Amaechi says the domestication of the Child Rights Act in the state will restore the privileges and dignity of the child.
Judith Amaechi stated this Friday in a statement signed by her media assistant Dike Bekwele.
She said the Child Rights Bill currently committed to committee stage in the state house of assembly will tackle all injustice against the child when it becomes a law.
Judith Amaechi’s submission is coming against the backdrop that lack of proper legislation and enabling laws have frustrated the crusade against child labour among other social injustice against the child. “We have not been able to arrest all injustice against the children, while their rights are trampled upon and violated at will due to improper legislation and enabling laws in our society.”
The Rivers State First Lady is worried that twenty years after the universal child’s right convention was ratified by the UN, the child has not been given a pride of place. “It will be twenty years this November of the ratification of the Universal Child’s Right Acts convention, let us therefore give our children their pride of place.”
She explained that the current economic and social index shows that the future of the nation lies with the children and ignoring this position may spell a doom for the nation.
“It will be in the interest of the nation to enhance the privilege of children with a view to empowering them to perform their responsibilities to the nation in future.”
Reflecting on the education of the children, she added that drastic measures must be put in place to realise the objective of the education for all (EFA) in 2015. “The quest for affordable and accessible education inspired the establishment of the ESI Nursery schools in Rivers State to cater for the needs of less privileged rural children whose parents cannot afford early and foundational education, we will complement the state government to achieve the MDGs and EFA in 2015”.
The United Nations General Assembly in December 1954 recommended that countries institute a universal children day. November 20th marks the day which the Assembly adopted the rights of the child in 1959 and the convention on the rights of the child in 1989.