A Portrait of the Rights of Children with Disabilities in Nigeria: A Policy Review.

Publisher: MDPI Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101238455 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1660-4601 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 16604601 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Environ Res Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Basel : MDPI, c2004-

Disabled Children* ; Human Rights*; Child ; Humans ; Black People ; Nigeria ; Policy

Worldwide, 200 million children experience disability, with the vast majority living in low- and middle-income countries. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) places great importance on the rights of all children for the opportunities for survival, growth, health, and development. A subsequent document, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), identifies children with disabilities as rights bearers who should be considered in all policies and programming worldwide. Nigeria, in 1991 and 2010, ratified the CRC and the CRPD, respectively. Nonetheless, knowledge of the extent to which their disability and child-directed policies considers these two key conventions, in ensuring that children and children with disabilities have access to care within their right remains limited. This study examined the extent to which Nigeria's current disability and childhood policies have integrated the two child and disability related conventions from the UN. Using a structured search of databases and Nigerian federal and state government websites, we conducted a policy review to identify their disability and child-related disability policies. We also included the CRC and CRPD reports submitted by the Nigerian government to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) (2008 and 2010 cyclical year). A thematic analysis, based on the CRC and CRPD report, identified the following six themes: participation, support systems, awareness raising, factors associated with adherence to the CRC, laws and rights, and services. The review showed that the available Nigerian disability policies were federal, with some state policies which aligned with the CRC and CRPD. Also identified was the lack of disability policies specific to children and their families. We concluded that, to ensure proper inclusion of the rights of all children, including those with disabilities, in Nigeria there is a need for a more optimal uptake of recommendations of the CRC and CRPD as laid out by the UN.

Pediatr Res. 2017 Jan;81(1-1):2-3. (PMID: 27849195)
Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2019 Nov;30(4):757-768. (PMID: 31563167)
Child Abuse Negl. 2002 Nov;26(11):1117-30. (PMID: 12398850)
Health Policy Plan. 2008 Sep;23(5):308-17. (PMID: 18701552)
BMC Med Res Methodol. 2013 Sep 18;13:117. (PMID: 24047204)
J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2013 Nov;26(6):533-45. (PMID: 23613480)
Paediatr Child Health. 2005 May;10(5):269-72. (PMID: 19668630)
Res Dev Disabil. 2013 Mar;34(3):1001-10. (PMID: 23291518)
Ann Intern Med. 2018 Oct 2;169(7):467-473. (PMID: 30178033)
Semin Pediatr Neurol. 2018 Oct;27:53-61. (PMID: 30293590)

Keywords: Nigeria; children; disability; human rights; low/middle-income countries; policy; review

Date Created: 20231110 Date Completed: 20231113 Latest Revision: 20231117

20231215

PMC10650762

10.3390/ijerph20216996

37947554