Plans to implement child rights law in Zamfara underway, says commissioner

Nafisa Maradun, commissioner for women, children and social development in Zamfara, says a long-term plan has been developed to implement the child rights protection law in the state.

Maradun spoke on Tuesday in Kaduna during a five-day workshop on child protection law implementation strategy.

The workshop was organised by Zamfara ministry of women, children, and social development, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

In August 2022, the Zamfara house of assembly passed the child rights protection bill after 18 years.

Maradun said the workshop was organised to draft the implementation strategy for the law and inaugurate the implementation committee and their terms of reference.

She said “as the state’s custodian of children, the ministry of women, children, and social development will not be able to function without the child protection statute given its importance”.

“It will also identify the resources and infrastructure required for proper legislation, implementation, as well as identifying key areas of child protection legislation for better comprehension and improving the inter-sectoral collaboration among relevant stakeholders in the state,” she said.

She commended UNICEF for supporting the government in developing the implementation strategy.