RIGHTS OF CHILDREN UNDER THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: THE CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTATION

Abstract

Nations around the world have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and passedvarious legislations to safeguard the most vulnerable members of the society including children, but the effectsof these laws have not been felt especially in most third world nations where cases of indiscriminate death ofchildren, child abuse, child trafficking, child prostitution and all forms of violence against children are on therise. In Nigeria there exists the Child Rights Act of 2003, the Children and Young Person’s Act of 1943 whichlegislations was meant to provide against child labour, sexual exploitation of children, violence againstchildren, child trafficking etc. In Ghana another Western African nation there exists the Children’s Act of 1998which is meant to advance the legal rights of children and maintenance of children, prevent child labour andchild abuse etc. Findings reveal that despite the existence of these laws these societal ills have maintained asteady climb. There is also a lacklustre enforcement of the laws relating to the welfare of children in thesejurisdictions. This article set out to research on the factors responsible for the lacklustre implementation ofchildren protection laws, and the means of strengthening and enforcing the right of children to life andpreventing violence against children in all forms.