Osun bans facial marks for children

Osun State government has banned people in the state from giving facial mark or tattoo to their children. The new law, which was contained in the Child’s Rights Law signed by the state governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, imposed a fine of N5,000 or a jail term of one month or both for anyone who contravened the law.

According to Section 24 of the law, “No person shall tattoo or make a skin mark or cause any tattoo or skin mark to be made on a child,” while Section 24 (2) said “A person who tattoos or makes a skin mark on a child commits an offence under this law and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding N5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or to both such fine and imprisonment.

The law which also stipulated that a child had right to parental care compelled parents to get full immunisation against diseases for their children.

It said “any parent, guardian or person who fails in his or her duty to provide immunisation for the child commits an offence and is liable to a fine not exceeding N5,000 as a first offender and a second or any subsequent offence, whether in respect of that child or any other child, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month.”

The law also protected children from being subjected to forced or exploitative labour or being employed as a domestic help outside his home.