The Federal Government, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have launched a partnership aimed at expanding access to pro bono legal services for children in conflict with the law and other vulnerable children across Nigeria.
The initiative was unveiled during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Monday, with participants stressing the need for stronger legal protection and child-friendly justice mechanisms.
Representing the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the Director of the Administration of Criminal Justice and Reform Department in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, said access to justice was a fundamental right of every child.
Daniels said children who come into contact with the justice system as victims, witnesses or alleged offenders deserved protection, fair treatment and opportunities for rehabilitation.
“Access to justice is not a privilege, it is a fundamental right of every child. A child who comes into contact with the law, whether as a victim, witness, or an actual offender, deserves a system that protects, not harms; that restores, not stigmatises; and that hears, not silences,” she said.
She noted that Nigeria had made progress in developing a legal and policy framework for child justice through instruments including the Child Rights Act 2003, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, state child rights laws and diversion initiatives.
According to her, justice for children has also been recognised as a distinct thematic area in the National Policy on Justice, providing a framework for a more inclusive justice system.
Daniels said the Federal Government was prioritising children’s rights by addressing unnecessary detention and strengthening child-friendly justice mechanisms.
She, however, stressed that the effectiveness of the reforms would ultimately depend on what happens when children come into contact with law enforcement agencies and the courts.
“There is no real change outside. A real change is at the point of contact between the station and the courts,” she said.
UNICEF Country Representative in Nigeria, Wafaa Saeed, said the partnership was founded on the principle that no child should be denied justice because of a lack of legal representation.
Saeed identified detention without legal representation, delays in case management, limited access to diversion programmes, weak referral systems and inadequate support services as some of the challenges facing children within the justice system.
“Access to justice is not simply a legal issue. It is a child protection issue, a development issue, and a matter of human dignity,” she said.
She called on the NBA to mobilise lawyers across its branches to provide pro bono representation for children.
“Just imagine if every practising lawyer in each NBA branch handles a case pro bono on behalf of one child every year in Nigeria,” Saeed said.
The UNICEF representative also urged the judiciary to promote child-sensitive procedures, including mandatory age determination and consideration of diversion when children are brought before courts for arraignment.
She said the success of the partnership should be measured by tangible outcomes, including children being reunited with their families instead of being unnecessarily detained, survivors receiving justice and protection, and young offenders being given opportunities for rehabilitation and reintegration.
The President of the NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, said the partnership represented a renewed commitment by the legal profession to ensuring that every child had access to justice, protection and effective legal representation.
Osigwe noted that despite existing laws and policy reforms, many children affected by violence, abuse, exploitation, neglect, trafficking, child marriage, harmful traditional practices and conflict with the law continued to face significant barriers to justice.
“Too often, children who are victims of violence, abuse, exploitation, neglect, trafficking, child marriage, harmful traditional practices, or conflict with the law find themselves without adequate legal support when they need it most,” he said.
“For these children, lack of legal representation is a failure on our part.”
The NBA president urged lawyers across the country to dedicate their expertise and resources to child protection cases, while calling on every NBA branch to establish or strengthen pro bono schemes specifically focused on children.
He also encouraged law firms to dedicate part of their professional time to child protection cases and urged Senior Advocates of Nigeria to mentor younger lawyers in child-sensitive legal practice.
“This is not simply an act of charity. It is an act of justice,” Osigwe said.
He added that the true measure of the legal profession was not only the commercial transactions it facilitated or disputes it resolved, but also its ability to protect vulnerable people and strengthen public confidence in the rule of law.
