The Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Ishaq Bello, has signed the family court rules, which will regulate the enforcement of the Child Rights Act within the FCT. This follows the drafting of the rules and advocacy for its implementation, which was undertaken by the Federal Justice Sector Reform Coordinating Committee (FJSRCC) with support from the J4A programme. The rules will be applied by family courts in Abuja during the hearing and determination of cases arising from the provisions of the Childs Rights Act.
The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs has also appointed assessors who will sit alongside judicial officers in the family courts to provide advice on the best interests of the child in the determination of issues before the courts.
The FJSRCC with J4A support also organised sensitization workshops for stakeholders involved in the implementation of the law. These include judges, magistrates, lawyers, CSOs, Nigerian Prisons officials, staff of NAPTIP and other agencies, including the Social Services Secretariat of the FCT.