Rights of Street Children in Kano Metropolis: Social Exclusion and Legal Neglect

This study examines the human rights situation of street children in Kano metropolis, Northwest Nigeria, focusing on the legal neglect and social exclusion that perpetuate their vulnerability to exploitation, abuse, and criminalization. UNICEF and domestic NGO estimates suggest that tens of thousands of children, including almajiri students, live and work on the streets of Kano without adequate shelter, nutrition, education, or protection from abuse. The research situates its analysis within the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and Nigeria's Child Rights Act, examining the extent to which these frameworks are operationalized in Kano State, which has not yet domesticated the Child Rights Act. A qualitative methodology is adopted, using key informant interviews with street children, shelter workers, social welfare officers, Islamic scholars, and legal aid representatives in Kano municipal area. Findings reveal that street children routinely experience physical abuse by law enforcement, are denied access to education and healthcare, and are frequently charged with vagrancy-related offences without legal representation. The study argues that the failure to domesticate the Child Rights Act constitutes a direct violation of Nigeria's international obligations and leaves children without adequate domestic legal protection. Recommendations include urgent domestication of the Child Rights Act in Kano, expansion of child welfare shelters, and decriminalization of child poverty-related behaviors. Keywords: street children, child rights, Kano State, social exclusion, legal neglect.