Nigeria Child Rights Act No.26 of 2003
Published: 20/May/2003
The Child Rights Act recognises every child’s right to name, and holds that the birth of every child shall be registered in accordance with the provisions of the Birth, Death, etc. (Compulsory Registration) Act, 1992 (Article 5). The Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of belonging to a particular community or ethnic group or by reason of the child’s place of origin, sex, religion, or political opinion. It also holds that no child shall be subjected to any “disability or deprivation” merely by reason of the circumstances of his birth (Article 10). The act provides that the State Government shall safeguard and promote the welfare of the children in need within that State, including children who are internally displaced or refugees (Article 171(1)(a), (10)(a)(iii)). It should be noted that for this Act to be effective in any of Nigeria’s 36 states, the State Assembly has to enact it as well.
Download file: Nigeria Child Rights Act 2003