The Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID), in partnership with the Public Defender Citizens Rights Commission (PDCRC) and Nigeria Women Trust Fund (NWTF), have called on all stakeholders, including communities to end child trafficking and early marriage in Kogi State.
They made the call on Friday at a
capacity building training on child right law for relevant stakeholders at community level held at Ujagba community, Okpachala-Ate and Osisi community all in Igalamela Odolu and Adavi Local Government Area in Kogi State respectively.
The resource person at the event, Abaniwo Nathaniel noted that the child trafficking and early marriage has become prevalent in the Country hence the need for concerted effort to put an end to the menace in the society.
He said “The issue of child trafficking and early marriage is becoming worrisome in our society. We thought that the Child Rights law would reduce this societal menace but the report we are getting recently is a thing of concern.
“This is one of the reason why both the State and other donors are embarking on this capacity building to sensitize the populace especially people residing at the Local areas that the Child Rights law is in existence in Kogi State. We must put our heads together to end Child’s marriage, trafficking and female genital mutilation”.
Abaniwo emphacized that Nigeria as a nation is a signatories to United Nations Convention on the Right of Child, international treaties on the issue of Women, Children and the campaign to protect their rights.
Explaining the Child Right law which was passed in 2003 during the then Olusegun Obasanjo regime and later domesticated in 2009 in Kogi State, Abaniwo disclosed that Children must be protected in the society due to their vulnerability.
“You can’t do anything to a Child which is not in his or her best interest. This Child right law is captured into four group. They are survival, protection , development and participation rights. Every Child is entitled to something that will develop him or her” he emphacized.
He charged parents to protect their Children from being sexually abuse adding that, many parents have relented in their responsibilities concerning parental upbringing.
“Parents must protect their wards from Child’s labour. It is wrong that a Child that is at the age of going to school is not in school. The Child right law frowns at discrimination of the Children. All hands must be on deck to stop drug abuse, violence against Women and Children in Nigeria,” he stated.
Earlier in her remarks, the Executive Director of PIBCID Rachael Akande who was represented by Jimoh Olanrewaju stated that many violence start with young girls hence the need to discourage early marriage.
She maintained that the project which is a six months depends on the commitments of the community for it to be extended by the donors.
Akande wants the communities to be child right law implementation champions in their various vicinity.
Highpoint of the program is the distributions of sanitary pads, soaps, and detergents to young girls and members of the three communities in Kogi State.
