1 December 2022, Abuja - Over the past decade, the complex phenomenon of child recruitment and exploitation by groups designated as ‘terrorist groups’ by the UN Security Council has become a serious threat to security, development and rule of law in many countries across the world including Nigeria. In 2021 alone, Boko Haram factions perpetrated 890 serious violations against children in the Lake Chad Basin with 63 children being recruited - mostly through abduction - in Borno State (United Nations: Children and Armed Conflict - Report of the Secretary-General, 2022). In addition, there are growing concerns over an increase in child recruitment by other criminal groups in the Northwest and Central States which have been designated as terrorist under national law.
In order to address this phenomenon effectively at both the national and the global level - and to protect society, in particular children, from the threats associated with terrorism and violent extremism - UNODC recognises that it is crucial for Member States to agree on a common approach to its major challenges that is in accordance with international law.
In launching the ‘Nigeria Call for Action’ on 1 December during a high-level event in Abuja, the Government of Nigeria took an unprecedented step to prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism affecting children. With the adoption of this important document, Nigeria endorsed the ‘UNODC Roadmap on the Treatment of Children Associated with Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups’, which was developed to support Member States in developing and implementing a coherent system-wide approach to the phenomenon. The ‘Call for Action’ formally recognises the Roadmap’s key principles for protecting children from terrorism and violent extremism and acknowledges that “children should be considered and treated primarily as victims of crime”. The development of this important national political declaration was led by the Office of the National Security Advisor (ONSA) and facilitated by UNODC through the EU funded project ‘STRIVE Juvenile’ and under the Global Programme to End Violence against Children. A whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach is foreseen to prevent and respond to child recruitment and exploitation by terrorist groups in line with national legal and policy frameworks. As such, the Call for Action also consitutes an important milestone in the implementation of UNODC’s Strategic Vision for Nigeria, in particular as concerns the promotion of initiatives to support the victims of terrorism, in particular women and children recruited and exploited by terrorist organizations.
Addressing the panel of high-level attendees at the launch event, Dame Pauline Tallen OFR, Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, called for concerted efforts by all sectors and all members of Nigerian Society to keep children safe from terrorism and related violence; and stressed the imperative for investment in the rehabilitation and reintegration of children formerly associated with armed groups, including those designated as terrorist groups.
Thanks to the leading role played by ONSA and the commitment of a broad range of national stakeholders from Federal and State levels, the ‘Nigeria Call for Action’ provides a new framework for such concerted action which will enhance stakeholders’ joint efforts and guarantee a coherent approach to the creation of protective environments for children that prevent all forms of recruitment and pave the way for rehabilitation and reintegration.
Opening the high-level event on behalf of ONSA, Rear Admiral YEM Musa (Rtd), Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre, referred to the ‘Call for Action’ as a “historical declaration that calls for the prohibition of all forms of child recruitment, regardless of the designation of the groups who perpetrate it; and that prioritizes the protection of children and accountability for all child rights violations”. In support of these remarks, Mr. Oliver Stolpe, UNODC Representative in Nigeria, commended the efforts of Nigeria in having adopted a declaration which is strongly anchored in international law and stressed that “children should not be defined by conflict, they should not be defined by terrorism, they are children first, and victims of criminal strategies that - all too often - they cannot escape”. He also underlined the complementarity of the ‘Call for Action’ and the Handover Protocol recently signed by the Government of Nigeria and the United Nations system both of which recognise that children are primarily victims.
Tackling the phenomenon of child recruitment by terrorist and violent extremist groups means - above all - addressing its consequences for the lives of children and society at large. The ‘Call for Action’ represents a unique commitment towards mainstreaming child protection in humanitarian, development and peace efforts, through the promotion of rehabilitation and reintegration. Mr. Ruben Alba Aguilera, EU Representative in Nigeria, confirmed that for “the European Union, defending the rule of law even in contexts of insecurity is a crucial priority … and that the ‘Nigeria Call for Action’ demonstrates that there is no conflict between the rule of law and security objectives as defending child rights is especially important when democratic values are threatened and tested.”
“There can be no peace when the child is in pieces!” Throughout the event, high-level speakers and participants echoed this key message of the STRIVE Juvenile video which was projected during the event and had been produced in close collaboration with young Nigerians from affected regions. The video highlighted the need to empower youth as agents of change and decision-makers in their own protection from terrorism and violent extremism. Under STRIVE Juvenile - thanks to the support of the European Union and in close collaboration with ONSA - UNODC will continue to amplify the voices of youth in Nigeria, including through a targeted awareness raising campaign that will be rolled out in 2023.
The event convened representatives from the Federal Government including the Minister of Women’s Affairs, the Coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, the Solicitor General, and representatives of the Governments of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe; civil society organizations; religious leaders; and youth.
The project ‘STRIVE Juvenile’ is an initiative funded by the EU under the UNODC Global Programme to End Violence against Children, for the development and implementation of comprehensive national responses to prevent and counter violent extremism affecting children.
Oliver Stolpe (Rep. UNODC Nigeria); Ruben Alba Aguilera (Delegation of the EU to Nigeria & ECOWAS); Rear Admiral YEM Musa (Rtd ONSA); Dame Pauline Tallen (Minister, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs); Beatrice Jedy-Agba (Federal Ministry of Justice Nigeria); Mairo Abbas (Head PCVE ONSA); Alexandra Martins (UNODC Vienna); Samuel Sesay (UNICEF Nigeria); Grace Mieszkalski, (High Commission of Canada Nigeria); Trygve Aurdal-Vold (Norwegian Embassy Nigeria)
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Newsroom
During the Special Event, the new project STRIVE Juvenile has been presented. STRIVE Juvenile: Preventing and Responding to Violence against Children by Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups is a three-year (2021-2024), EUR 5.5 million initiative by the European Union and UNODC. The project aims to partner with the selected countries, the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of Iraq and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for the development and implementation of comprehensive national responses to prevent and counter violent extremism affecting children, in full respect of human rights, gender equality and international law... Read more
