The British Council Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) programme has organised a two-day training for crime investigators and prosecutors to check detention of children.
Our correspondent reports that ROLAC programme is funded by the European Union and implemented by the British Council.
A Child’s Justice Consultant to RoLAC, Dr Willie Mamah, said that the training became necessary in view of the high number of children in detention centres.
He called for enforcement of the Child’s Rights Act, noting that its principles were against social and cultural norms, which believed that children should be punished for crime like adults.
According to him, the Act provides that children should not be treated harshly but corrected.
He, however, urged that the child’s justice system was not a platform to encourage a child to commit an offence, saying that erring children should be sent to a correctional home.
“When a child commits a crime, it is an indication that there is problem in the family and society.
“The law is that when a child commits crime, prosecution should be the last result,” he said.
Mamah said that the training was to change the mindset of police prosecutors in that regard.
“Nigeria criminal justice system is doing violence to children.
“When a child commits a capital offence such as armed robbery and murder, such a child should be treated under the child’s justice system and not under criminal justice system.
“The child is supposed to be taking to Family Court where there are judges and social workers called who will use a tool called social inquiry to find out the background of the child,” he said.
Mamah expressed the worry over the number of children in detention in Lagos State due to regular raid by the task forces.
The Lagos State Coordinator of RoLAC, Mrs Ajibola Ajimakiwa, said that the programme was to build the capacities of stakeholders in the child justice system to improve the enforcement of the Child’s Rights Law in the State.
According to her, the focus is on enforcement of the law and promotion of other laws and practices that facilitate access to justice for children and young persons.
“In 2018, RoLAC commissioned an assessment to determine the extent of implementation of the Child’s Rights Law in Lagos State and discovered the need for continuous training of stakeholders.
“The training will address some gaps including integration of non-custodial measures and child protection policy in handling children in the justice system,” she noted.