in other African countries, are no longer juveniles, but young adults. They are no longer underage persons requiring adult protection, but real and potential competitors for resources with adults. They are no longer mere consumers of resources, but must earn a living. They are no longer innocent bystanders in conflicts, but actual and potential combatants. 374. The conditions and rights of children require more serious attention. To continue to relegate these to the domain of tradition and family life exclusively is a major gap in policy. The Child Rights Act has yet to come fully into force and it has yet to be publicised. The plight of the children in conflicts and of those displaced by conflicts is not receiving adequate attention. The National Youth Development Policy which was put in place in 2001 has not yet been meaningfully implemented. The structures to ensure its effectiveness are still to be developed. ii. Findings of the CRM Domesticating the rights of children 375. Although Nigeria has signed and ratified the CRC, and even passed the Child Rights Act in 2003 at the national level, at the level of states only 18 out of the 36 have adopted legislation that would make the convention law on the ground. Nigeria has also ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, although it has not been domesticated. It is alleged in some states that the rights recognised in the convention contravene ‘traditional practices’. Notwithstanding the ratification, children’s rights are still being abused in Nigeria. Some traditional practices do not favour the promotion of children’s rights. For example, corporal punishment is still administered as a form of discipline. 376. The Child Rights Act includes fines and/or imprisonment for certain violations of children’s rights, including: marriage to children under 18; exposing children to the use, production and trafficking of narcotics; the abduction of children; and using children for exploitative labour. However, implementation of such provisions is very limited. Although the Child Rights Act was passed by the National Assembly in 2003, not enough sensitisation has been done, with the result that many parents and children are ignorant of the various rights articulated in the act. 377. Although the Child Rights Act was passed by the National Assembly in 2003, it has been adopted through legislative approval in only 11 states. Other states still use the cultural definition of a child, which defines a child as a person below the age of 14 years. This conflict of definitions has either infringed on or denied the rights of Nigerian children. The definition of a child in Nigeria should therefore be in line with the international definition, and states that have not passed the Child Rights Act should be urged to do so. Young persons 378. 128 The CRM heard that many youths are unemployed, even after acquiring the necessary qualifications. Graduates with ‘godfathers’ find it easier to