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Domestic Law On The Rights Of The Child Essay

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domestic law on the rights of the child in Nigeria. The CRA was passed as a federal law but it does not have a direct application effect in the states of the federation until individual states enact it at the state level because it is a law which is in the Residual list.
The CRA in its comprehensiveness provides a varying range of child rights which includes but not limited to the prohibition on the use of children in criminal activities, the exposure of children to use, production and trafficking of narcotic drugs, prohibition on the use of children in exploitative labor, etc. The CRA can be said to be divided into 4 categories of rights;
a. The survival category; includes the right to life, good health, balanced nutrition, etc. provided in sections 12, 13.
b. The development of the child provided in section 15 and 29.
c. The protection due to a child contained in sections 21-52 and
d. The participatory rights of the child provided in sections 3(1) (2), 6. 7, 8, 13, 19 & 20. These four categories as described briefly summarizes the CRA and the types of protection which it affords the Nigerian child. Most importantly as it concerns this paper is the examination of the CRA’s provisions as regards Child marriage and the protection which it affords the Nigerian girl child. The CRA makes a glaring prohibition of child marriage by providing that;
“No person under the age of 18 years is capable of contracting a valid marriage, and accordingly a marriage so contracted

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