As the world commemorates World Children’s Day, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on the federal government to prioritise the rights of children, to enable them to fulfill their dreams.
The representative of UNICEF in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, at an event organised by UNICEF, to commemorate World Children’s Day and the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, at the weekend, in Lagos, said children have the right to education, health, nutrition and to play in a safe environment.
Yet, about 18.5 million out-of-school children are in Nigeria and the country has the second highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 per cent of children under five.
To tackle the menace of out-of-school children and malnutrition in Nigeria, Munduate at this year’s celebration with the theme: “Inclusion for every child” said, everyone has a role to play.
Starting with the media, she urged journalists to use their various mediums to demand for the rights of children, saying, “They should also sensitize families and parents that their children have the right to be educated and they should facilitate their access to school.”
To the government, UNICEF representative in Nigeria, tasked the government both at the federal, state and local government level to assume the commitment of ensuring that all children are in school and if the children cannot go to school, then the school should come to them.
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