Training the child

AS we mark this year's World Children's Day, it will be necessary for us to reflect on how well we have fared in our child upbringing responsibilities. The use of the pronoun "we" here does not mean parents alone, it is inclusive of every adult member of the society. Every adult member of the society has a responsibility towards the proper upbringing and development of every child within their neighbouhood one way or the other. If you are not the parent of a child you however stand in loco parents to any child within your environ especially when the biological parents are not available for one reason or the other. Thus you owe a duty of care and protection to that child. Though you may not be legally liable for any harm that may occur to that child should you refuse to give him/her adequate care and protection as an adult, however, you will be morally liable, at least to God - the ultimate parent of the child.

This reminds me of a popular biblical instruction: "train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it". The question is to whom is this instruction directed? It is very obvious that no name is mentioned, it is an open-ended instruction. Each time we quote this instruction, we point towards parents, but the truth is that we have always been wrong. The instruction was not given to parents alone, rather, it is an instruction given to the whole world. In other words, it means that the responsibility for the proper upbringing and development of any single child that comes into this world lies on the shoulders of the entire adult world. It means that the proper upbringing and development of any single child that comes into this world (whether you call him/her legitimate or illegitimate, able or disabled etc) lies on the shoulders of the immediate parents, the community, the state, the nation, the continent and the world at large. The parents therefore should make adequate provisions towards the protection of the human rights, development and enhancement of the welfare of their children, the community should do the same on the community level, the state, the nation, the continent and the world at large should equally do the same at their respective capacities. Of course, the world through the United Nations has been making commendable efforts towards ensuring the protection, development and enhancement of the rights and welfare of every child.

The provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the child (CRC) are enough to give adequate protection to every child if embraced by member-states. Though almost all member states in the United Nations (except USA and Somalia) have ratified the CRC, yet it still suffers two major set backs - first, domestication and second, implementation. Most countries that have ratified it are having big problems with domesticating it as part of their internal legislation. A good example is Nigeria where the National Assembly enacted it into law as the Nigerian Child Rights Act 2003. Since 2003 till date only few states have deemed it fit to adopt it. It should be of note that Nigeria because of her federal system of government, no federal enactment can automatically be operative in the states of the federation unless such a state adopts it by enacting it into state law through the state's House of Assembly. Besides, states that have enacted the Child Rights Act into state law even with some modifications are still battling with the problem of implementation.

These laws are honoured more in the breach, and consequently the children continue to suffer abuse and exploitation in the hands of those who are supposed to protect their interest, those who are supposed to train them up in the way they should go. Now, in answering the question to whom is the instruction "train up a child in the way he should go..." the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child throws more light. Article 18 provides thus: 'State parties shall use their best efforts to ensure recognition of the principle that both parents have common responsibility for the upbringing and development of the child, parents or, as the case may be, legal guardians have the primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of the child...'

The provision is to the effect that parents (both parents, not only the father or the mother) who gave birth to a child have the primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of that child, e.g. through providing basic and immediate needs like shelter, food, clothing and education to the child. This responsibility can also be borne by legal guardians, especially when the child has no parents or the parents are not able to cater for the child perhaps as a result of physical or mental infirmity. That is why the instruction 'train up a child...' was open-ended, not addressed to any particular person, because any person might find himself/herself in a position to take up that responsibility for one reason or the other.

Note that the instruction did not say "train up your child", but 'a child' which means it does not have to be your biological child for you to take up the responsibility of protecting, providing and caring for him/her, you have a duty of love, care and protection over every child, whether black or white, able or disable, Christian or Muslim.

I said earlier that the state (country) in which a child was born also has responsibility for the upbringing and development of the child, thus the CRC rightly shared this responsibility between the parents and the state by providing in paragraph 2 of Article 18 thus: "For the purpose of guaranteeing and promoting the rights set forth in this convention, state parties shall render appropriate assistance to parents and legal guardians in the performance of their child-rearing responsibilities and shall ensure the development of institutions, facilities and services for the care of children".

In other words, while the primary responsibility lies on the shoulders of both parents, the secondary responsibility lies upon the shoulders of the state. And the secondary responsibility which lies upon the shoulders of the state (that is the government), is to appropriately assist the parents in performance of their primary responsibility by simply providing an enabling environment. In other words, though parents are to ensure their children are sheltered, well-fed, clothed and educated, the state is to ensure that shelter, food, clothing and education are not beyond the reach of the parents. The government must make shelter, food, clothing, education and medical care affordable to every parent or legal guardian, as the case may be.

The government should ensure that necessary facilities and institutions like recreational and health facilities, schools etc, that will assist parents in carrying out their primary responsibilities are put in place. And considering the importance of education to the development of man, Article 28 of the Child Rights Convention urges the state parties to pay more attention to the right of every child to education and where possible provide free education to every child.

All these provisions of this international convention, which Nigeria is a party to, have been domesticated through the Nigerian Child Rights Act (CRA) 2003. It is therefore necessary that states in Nigeria which have been magnanimous enough to adopt the CRA should not just stop there, but should do everything possible to ensure the provisions of the Act or laws, as the case may be, are well implemented. States, which are still undecided, should please make up their minds for the best interest of the children. Let us not sacrifice the future and best interest of Nigerian children on the altar of religion, politics, culture, and personal interests.

No doubt, the yardstick for measuring successful and responsible parents and governments is their ability to shoulder their respective responsibilities to the children efficiently. Parents, legal guardians, communities or governments that fail in their respective duties and obligations to the children, have not only failed the future of the nation, the continent and the world at large, but have also failed God, who entrusted these children into their hands.