The United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, in partnership with the Nigeria Bar Association,has called for urgent reforms to safeguard the rights of children within Nigeria’s legal and justice system.
The call was made during the 2025 NBA Annual General Conference in Enugu, which brought together over twenty thousand participants, including legal practitioners, policy makers, development partners, scholars,civil society and the media under the theme; “Stand out and stand tall”.
At a high level session titled; “Ending child detention: the role of the NBA in advancing justice and reintegration”, UNICEF and NBA reaffirmed joint commitment to ensuring that every child, especially the most vulnerable, has access to fair, timely and child-sensitive justice.
In his remark, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Wafaa Saeed, said children should not be behind the bar because of who they are, saying that every child deserves protection, dignity and a chance to rebuild his future as UNICEF partnership with the NBA is about transforming the justice system into one that protects all
The partnership between UNICEF and NBA focuses on advancing reforms in the four key areas: promoting alternatives to detention and reducing overcrowding of juvenile facilities, strengthening child protection systems at state and community levels, expanding access to legal aid for children in conflict with the law, and advocating for the full implementation of the Child Rights Act across the federation.
