From John Silas, Lagos
The Lagos State Government is reviewing its Child’s Rights Law to strengthen safeguards for children and make the state’s child-protection system more responsive to emerging risks, including abuse, mental-health challenges, exploitation and online threats.
The Lagos State Law Reform Commission (LAWRECOM), which is coordinating the review, is proposing measures including mandatory reporting of child abuse, clearer institutional responsibilities, stronger digital-safety provisions, improved psychosocial support and enhanced alternative-care arrangements.
The review is also expected to provide an appropriate legal framework for the Lagos Boy Child Initiative being coordinated by the Office of the First Lady (OFL), which convened a stakeholders’ engagement as part of the process.
Executive Secretary of LAWRECOM, Mrs Oluyemisi Ogunlola, said the proposed framework would strengthen accountability among institutions and professionals responsible for children’s welfare.
She explained that the draft links children’s rights with reporting duties, timelines, professional standards, inspections, complaints procedures and sanctions.
According to Ogunlola, the review seeks to move child protection from a reactive system to one that identifies and addresses risks before they escalate.
“The proposed mental-health systems, psychosocial assessment, mandatory reporting and early-intervention programmes are designed to identify and address risk before serious harm occurs,” she said.
The proposed law also provides for an electronic system to track missing children, stronger investigation and case-assessment procedures, and improved protection for children living with disabilities.
For children who come into contact with the justice system, the reforms emphasise rehabilitation, diversion from unnecessary incarceration and safe reintegration into family and community life.
The framework further strengthens kinship care, foster care, adoption and other forms of alternative care, while providing support for eligible young people transitioning from State care.
The proposed amendments will undergo the necessary governmental and legislative processes before becoming law, with stakeholder participation expected to remain central to the review.
