The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya (SAN), has called for stronger implementation of the Child Rights Act and its domestication in all states to protect girls from child marriage, harmful practices and barriers to education.
Badejo-Okusanya made the call in a statement on Sunday to mark the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, stressing that protecting girls was a matter of human rights, justice and the rule of law.
She said that despite the existence of laws designed to protect children, many girls continued to face challenges that limited their choices and denied them opportunities to realise their full potential.
The NBA president noted that the gap between rights guaranteed by law and the protection girls actually received remained a major concern, adding that laws could not fulfil their purpose if they failed to reach the children they were enacted to protect.
“We must therefore strengthen implementation, pursue the domestication of the Act in every state and ensure that access to justice does not depend on a family’s ability to pay,” she said.
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She reaffirmed the NBA’s commitment to advancing the protection of girls and working with relevant institutions to bridge the gap between legal provisions and the realities faced by children.
Badejo-Okusanya said the responsibility for protecting the girl child extended beyond the legal profession, urging governments, communities and individuals to play their respective roles in safeguarding girls’ rights.
According to her, governments must strengthen child-protection institutions, while communities must reject harmful practices, irrespective of how deeply entrenched they are.
She also urged individuals to speak up, report abuse and refuse to ignore violations of girls’ rights.
“Every girl deserves the time to grow, the protection of the law and the opportunity to become all she is capable of becoming,” she said.
The NBA president added that protecting girls should not be treated as an act of charity but as a responsibility owed to them and to the future of the country.
She called for a renewed commitment to ensuring that the rights of every girl were not merely recognised in law but effectively protected in practice.