NBA, UNICEF Push Child Rights for Legal Reforms in Nigeria

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) have called for urgent reforms to protect the rights of children within Nigeria’s justice system, stressing the need for child-sensitive approaches that focus on protection, rehabilitation, and reintegration.

The call was made at the 2025 NBA Annual General Conference in Enugu, which brought together more than 20,000 legal professionals, policymakers, development partners, academics, civil society groups, and the media under the theme “Stand out and stand tall.”

At a special session titled “Ending child detention: The role of NBA in advancing justice and reintegration,” UNICEF and the NBA reiterated their shared commitment to ending the detention of children for reasons linked to poverty, vulnerability, or circumstances of birth.

“Children should never be behind bars simply because of who they are or the circumstances they are born into. Every child deserves protection, dignity, and a chance to rebuild their future,” said Wafaa Saeed, UNICEF’s Representative in Nigeria. She emphasized that the partnership with the NBA is about building a justice system that “protects rather than punishes, empowers rather than excludes, and restores rather than breaks lives.”

The collaboration focuses on promoting alternatives to detention, tackling overcrowding in juvenile facilities, strengthening community-based child protection systems, expanding legal aid access, and advocating for the full implementation of the Child Rights Act across all 36 states.

NBA President, Afam Osigwe, reaffirmed the association’s resolve to drive reform, noting that while progress has been made in passing child protection laws, enforcement remains weak. “Together with UNICEF, we will continue to push for reforms that meet both national and international child rights standards. This conference is a rallying point for the legal community to take bold action,” he said.

UNICEF stressed that justice for children must go beyond legal frameworks, to include empowerment, reintegration, and lasting opportunities for a brighter future.