Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, has recorded over 500 cases of rape and child defilement so far in year 2014, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ade Ipaye, said on Wednesday.

These recorded cases are just the incidents that were reported. Many others occurred, but were buried based on agreement by the parties to the cases or out of fear by the victims, he noted.

Ipaye, who made this shocking disclosure at a Human Rights Essay and Debate Competition organised for private and public schools in Lagos by the Directorate for Citizen’s Rights, told the gathering that the 2014 theme for the exercise was carefully picked in the light of the fact that in the last one year, more than 500 cases of defilement of minors were reported in the state.

With the theme: ‘The Rights of the Child’, the competiotion was part of activities marking the 2014 World Human Rights Day.

According to Ipaye, “we know that children contend with several challenges on daily basis, however, the onus is on parents and guardians to ensure that each child is given necessary care and attention.”

He tasked stakeholders to always enlighten pupils and students about human rights as this would assist them and ensure that youths imbibed the principles of fairness, non-discrimination, inclusiveness and respect for fellow-beings, irrespective of age.

“I will like to use the opportunity of this occasion to enjoin all residents to partner with government in ensuring that the rights of our children are safeguarded,” he urged while maintaining that the success of all the laws and policies protecting the rights of children partly depends on the cooperation of members of the society.

While speaking at the event, Mrs. Funmi Falana, a rights activist, pleaded with the three arms of government to do all within their powers to strengthen the country’s education sector while lamenting the poor state of eductation in the country.

She also lamented the non-domestication of the Child Rights Act 2003 in 12 states of the federation.

Noting that children’s education in Nigeria is nothing to boast about and that education is beginning to become commercialised, she said: “pondering over the state of the Nigerian child, my heart aches because of the environment they are living and the state of their education.

“Some of these children roam the streets with tattered clothes, with no help from any quarter, some do not even believe in education again but I believe all these can be corrected with the help of government.”