Lokoja
Association of Orphans and Vulnerable Children NGOs in Nigeria (AONN) has urged Kogi state government to enforce the Child Rights Act, to accelerate the of End Violence Against Children (E-VAC) campaign in the state.
The Coordinator of the NGO, Mr Nathaniel Abaniwo,gave the advice in Lokoja on Thursday during advocacy visit to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Fatima Kabir-Buba.
The coordinator also urged the state government to implement the six-point key priority actions contained in the 2014 survey by the NGO, to accelerate the campaign.
He said the priority actions recommended in the survey, billed for launch on May 27, include implementing laws and policies to prevent and respond to violence and escalating efforts to prevent violence through creating a protective environment for children.
The coordinator told the commissioner that the visit was to mobilise, sensitise and advocate support toward the success of the campaign to end violence against children in the area slated for launch.
Others, he added; are enhancing the response to violence by encouraging children to speak out and enhance their access to services; increasing investment in child protection and modelling the child protection system among others.
He said that the intensified campaign and advocacy, by the NGO, was sequel to increasing threshold of reported cases of violence against children reported by the Department of Child Development of the Women Affairs Ministry.
Abaniwo said the goal of the body was for the well-being of vulnerable groups and societal development in health, education and economic empowerment improved.
“It is our vision for a healthy, safe and developed community devoid of all forms of social, political and cultural norms and values that prevent development and peaceful coexistence,”he said.
According to him, a child may be classified as vulnerable when he or she lacked access to education, protection, nutrition, psycho-social support, shelter and care, health and household economic strengthening services.
He said the NGO believed in the unity of stakeholders and organise discussion with a view to ending the narrative about the less privileged children who needed to be in school but found on the streets.
Aliyu, who is also the Executive Director,Initiative for Grassroots Advancement (INGRA), another NGO, said that subjecting children to street hawking or begging did not give the society good name.
Receiving Aliyu and his team, Kabir-Buba described the plight of vulnerable children in the society as very pathetic.
According to her,such sorry state of human existence required stringent measures to be effectively eradicated.
“Child abuse is uncalled for and unacceptable. We will work with the Ministry of Justice to ensure that, for any infringment on the rights of children, pertrators face the full wrath of the law.
“We are also going to step up mobilisation and sensitisation campaign to end violence against children in collaboration with the Ministries of Education and Environment to address hawking and alms begging,” she promised.
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