Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Wednesday said the government would soon domesticate the Child Rights Act to protect girls and give them fair chances of self-realization.
The governor said this during an event organized to commemorate the 2016 World Population Day, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
El Rufai, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Barnabas Bantex, said the bill has been forwarded to the state Assembly for passage.
He said: “We cannot deny that teenage girls in the country, especially in the north are facing issues detrimental to their wellbeing.
“Issues ranging from forced marriages, early motherhood, sexual abuse, gender discrimination and lack of access to education and prompt justice.
“In response to this, we are strengthening our justice system to speedily respond and tackle cases of rape and other forms of violence and abuse against the girl child.’’
The governor reiterated his administration’s willingness to invest in the development of teenage girls, stressing that the state would continue to invest massively in the education of children.
“Just recently, the state’s House of Assembly passed an executive bill that gives every child access to nine-year free and compulsory basic education.
“When this bill fully comes into operation at the commencement of the next academic calendar in September, parents that refused to send their children to school will face the law,” he added.
