YALI President Urges Full Domestication of Child Rights Act Across Nigeria

From Paul Orude, Bauchi

As the world marked the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child, the National President of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) RLC Alumni Association Nigeria, Dr. Peter Ajanson, has renewed calls for the domestication and enforcement of the Child Rights Act (CRA) across all Nigerian states.

Speaking on the theme “The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead: Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis,” Ajanson decried the continued marginalisation of the Nigerian girl child, especially in the northern parts of the country, where cultural, legal, and systemic barriers persist.

“In Nigeria, the girl child is at the intersection of many crises,” Ajanson said.
“Some of these are immediate: conflict, displacement, health emergencies, poverty. Others are structural: gender bias, cultural norms, weak legal enforcement, and lack of educational access, early marriage, and sexual violence.”

Citing a report from ThisDay, Ajanson revealed that nearly 25 million child brides live in Nigeria today.

He expressed grave concern over alarmingly high rates of child marriage in some northern states: Bauchi: 74% of girls married before age 18 Jigawa: 72%, Zamfara: 67%

“Despite Nigeria’s policy framework, many girls face severe health risks and have limited agency in decision-making,” he said.

“Crises and displacement only intensify poverty and expose them to further risks.”

He stressed that gender-based violence (GBV), exclusion from education, early marriage, and reproductive health challenges continue to undermine the rights and future of millions of girls.

Ajanson criticised the slow and uneven domestication of the Child Rights Act (CRA) and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act across states.

“The laws exist, but the political will to enforce them is lacking in many areas,” he noted.

“Girls still lack access to forums where their voices are heard, respected, and acted upon.

“Traditional power structures, patriarchal norms, and cultural expectations often silence them.”

In Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and conflict zones, girls face heightened vulnerabilities including loss of schooling, increased risk of exploitation, child labour, and sexual violence.

Despite these challenges, Ajanson highlighted the resilience and leadership of Nigerian girls, who are rising to advocate for their rights and lead change within their communities.

“Across Nigeria, girls are organising peer groups to educate each other on menstrual hygiene, gender-based violence, and legal rights,” he said.

“They are using digital platforms to share their stories, raise awareness, and demand justice. These are not small acts—they are the building blocks of transformative change.”

He emphasized that girls are not merely symbols of hope but active agents of change, leading climate action, advocating for peace, and supporting younger peers.

Ajanson called on federal and state governments to back policy statements with concrete action: Full domestication of the CRA across all 36 states and integration into state laws, budgetary and administrative frameworks to implement and enforce CRA and VAPP provisions.

Others include increased investment in girls’ education, adolescent health, mental health, and GBV prevention, universal access to quality education, removing barriers like cost, infrastructure, distance, and insecurity, justice and accountability: Prosecution of violators, mobile courts, child protection units, and survivor support, among others.

“It is a reminder that the girls of Nigeria are leaders in their own right,” Ajanson said.

The theme this year — ‘The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead’ — must be more than a slogan. It must be a call to action.”

He concluded by urging all stakeholders—government, media, civil society, families, and the international community—to recognise, support, and amplify the voices and efforts of girls leading change across Nigeria.