Wetin you need know about di court wey dey protect children rights

Rivers State don join oda States for Nigeria to establish di Family Court wey be special court wey dey designed to deal with legal problems wey involve small pikins, address family mata and especially uphold and protect di rights of pikin dem.

For Nigeria, e dey established according to Sections 149 of di Child's Rights Act 2003, with di purpose to hear and determine mata wey relate to small pikin.

Dat one mean say di main goal of do Family Court na to settle legal palava wey occur for families. Di court get jurisdiction, dat is power and authority to hear any mata wey dey under di Child's Rights Acts and State laws wey dey for di Federal Capital Territory FCT Abuja and all di States for Nigeria.

Di Family Court dey function at two level: as a division of di High Court and as a Magistrate Court.

By di law, di Family court get power to hear and determine:

How Family Court come to be for Nigeria?

Di implementation of di United Nations Convention on di Rights of di Child make di Goment of Nigeria come up with di Child's Rights Act of 2003.

Di United Nations Convention On di Right Of di Child (UNCRC) na human rights treaty wey set out di civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children.

Di UNCRC define pikin as any human being wey dey under di age of eighteen years.

Di Convention deal with child specific needs and rights. E also require say any nation wey ratify dis Convention dey bound to am by international law.

E say di ratifying States must act in di best interests of di child and e also expect say dis kontris go implement di Convention.

Nigeria dey among 196 kontris wey be parties and signatories to di treaty.

To fulfil dia obligations in Nigeria, di National Assembly pass di Child Rights Bill into law.

Section 1 of di Child Rights Act (2003) provide say “for evri action wey concern a child, weda na by an individual, public or private body, Institutions or service, court of law, or administrative or legislative authority, di best interest of di child go be di primary consideration."

Di Child Rights Act 2003 provide di primary legislation for di protection and enforcement of children’s rights in Nigeria. Dis rights and responsibilities of children focus on di duties of children, parents, goment organizations, authorities and bodies.

Presently, in Nigeria, 24 states don domesticate di Child Rights Act and inside di Act naim e dey provided say States wey don domesticate di law must establish Family Court to handle issues.

Edo, Lagos and FCT Abuja na some of di States for Nigeria wey don establish di special Family Courts.  

'Seek legal audacity to prosecute child abuse cases even wen lawyers comot bodi' - Nyesom Wike

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike as e dey inaugurate di Court ask di judiciary to seek legal audacity wey go make cases wey come before di family court go fast-fast even wen lawyers wey dey persecute di cases develop cold feet begin drag leg.

Wike observe say most times lawyers go take style withdraw from prosecuting child rights abuse cases wey go frustrate di case and deny di pikin justice.

In oda not to let dat kain situation happen, Wike urge di judiciary to do evritin possible to achieve di purpose wey make dem establish di Family Court, dat is to make child-friendly justice system wey go treat small pikin dem with dignity and fairness.

"Children dey suffer. Most of dem dey defiled for dia early ages and some pipo, lawyers, no fit stand firm to say, look I no go accept dis, I must prosecute di mata to di last to see justice stand gidigba.

Frankly speaking, I dey fully in support and I thank God say students and pupils dey here to see say evri hope no dey lost.

You get opportunity to see and I believe di presiding judge and im colleagues wey go work for di Family Court, go make sure say justice no go only dey done but pipo go see am say e dey done." E tok.

'Di Family Court go dey age-appropriate, speedy and diligent' - Justice Suzzette Nyesom-Wike

Presiding judge of di Family Court, Justice Suzzette Eberechi Nyesom-Wike say di essence of child- friendly justice na to re-orientate and rehabilitate di pikin.

She say di Court go reintegrate, bring relief and redress to di pikin and not to put corporal or physical punishment like flogging or hardship on pikin de no mata di delinquency, dat is crime or misbehaviour of di pikin.

"Under dis system, di court dey obliged to listen to di children, to consider dia views and ensure dia participation and protection in di process weda as victims, witnesses or offenders.”

Justice Nyesom-Wike say since she become judge, her desire na to see a justice system wey guarantee effective implementation of all children's rights for di highest level, but di journey no be easy one.

"Apart from di lack of political will, di Rivers State Child's Rights law of 2009 bin dey fundamentally defective and no fit trigger di jurisdictional competence of a Family Court for di state, even if di state bin wan establish such a Court.

Also, di textual errors, omissions and repetition for di Rivers State Child's Rights Law 2009 bin dey so bad dat di 2021 amendment no fit cure and resolve di legal stalemate.

Besides dis, after 13 years and wit some changes wey don occur for our justice system for Rivers State, Nigeria and for di world, a review of di law dey necessary for di benefit of our children," she tok.

Justice Nyesom-Wike add say di court go spread to all di local goment areas to ease access to justice across di state as di need arise and resources allow.

"Di court go dey age appropriate, speedy and diligent. E go also focus on di pikin needs, respect di right to due process and di right to private and family life.

E go also dey accessible to all including litigants, lawyer and non-lawyers wey get right to participate and personally conduct dia cases in court." Na so she tok.

Di objectives of Family Court na:

1. To provide speedy justice and settle family cases sharp-sharp

2. Promote peace making and mediation for disputes wey relate to marriage

3. To preserve family ties

4. Solve family mata within a short period.

Dem also unveil two books: 'Family Court Rules, the Guide' and 'The Child, Ethics and the Law: A Simplified Law Guide for Children and Young Persons'. Dis go guide di conduct of activities for di court.

Family Court don decide many cases sharp sharp for Lagos and oda states wey get to do with legitimacy of children wey dey born outside marriage, custody of pikins after di parents divorce as well as many divorce cases.

Di court dey also handle many child defilement cases and violence against small pikin dem wey require protection of di pikin identity. Di koko be say cases wey dey before Family Court no dey take long time as e dey be for normal court system.