The Lagos State Government has called on citizens to prioritise the protection of children’s rights and take responsibility for their development.
The Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Titilayo Shita-Bey, said this in a statement on Sunday.
Shita-Bey was quoted as saying this during an event organised by the Directorate of Citizen’s Rights, to commemorate the 2021 Human Rights Day, in Ikeja.
She said, “These special sets of rights are to cater for children’s vulnerability and to ensure that adults take responsibility for their protection and development.
“In protecting the rights of children, Lagos State enacted the Child’s Rights Law which ensures that their rights are well protected. We must all recognise that the protection of the rights of every child is a matter of priority.
“We must encourage them to take pride in their individuality and continue to reinforce this idea as they grow older so that they will learn to celebrate the unique qualities in themselves and in others.
“This is a way of empowering them with knowledge, skills and self-confidence necessary for them to participate in the development process at all levels in the society.”
The Director of Public Prosecution, Olayinka Adeyemi, said human rights enhance development in every civilised society.
“Human rights add value to the agenda for development by drawing attention to accountability to respect, protect, promote and fulfil all human rights of all people. It, in turn, contributes to the human rights-based approach to development.
“Human rights-based approach will further generally lead to better analysed and more focused strategic interventions by providing the normative foundation for tackling fundamental development issues,” she said.
