By Ishaq Dan-Imam, Lokoja
The Kogi state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has stressed the need for adequate protection of child rights in the state through the formulation of child-friendly state policies.
Chairman of CAN in the state, Senior Apostle Adebayo Emmanuel Olaniyon, says all adults in the state should be in the vanguard of child protection in order to stem rising cases of child abuse, and pervasive child rights violations in the Communities across the state.
Apostle Olaniyon bared his mind on the high incidence of child molestation under the guise of child adoption and fostering, when he received an audience of members of the state child rights Advocacy Team in his office, in Lokoja.
According to him, “there’s a growing number of cases of child abuse in our homes that going on unnoticed as I have made a personal intervention to save the innocent children from abuse, torture, and maltreatment in many instances.
“I have a child who stays currently with me because of the pathetic conditions the child had been subjected to in wicked circumstances, and I got to know about the situation through my wife, who is the state Director of Child development of the ministry of women affairs and social development, and ever since, the unfortunate child has been in my custodian until the parents take over full responsibility.”
Senior Apostle Olaniyon calls on the people of the state to take an active interest in child rights advocacy and protection by forming an enduring partnership with rights groups like the international federation of female Lawyers (FIDA), CSOs, and others to get legal representation for children in conflict with the law, in the interest of protecting humanity.
Olaniyon, says the legal instrument with which to execute the war against child rights violations has already been established in the state with the domestication of the child rights law, urging the people to take advantage of the law to prosecute the offenders even before full implementation of the child rights law, adding that with the CRL legal framework, the child rights advocates in the state and other citizens can file lawsuits against the ‘fragrant’ child rights violators and get justice for the abused child at little or no cost of litigation to the appellants.
He added that CAN will plead with the state authorities to implement the child rights law (Policy Demands) being pursued by the state, saying it is in the best interest of the state to protect the rights of the child in any circumstances as CAN will not rest on its oars to get it fully implemented, as a formidable voice in the struggle for rights protection and the entrenchment of justice for all.
Earlier, the Leader of the state CRL advocacy cluster, Elder Titus Alonge, appreciated the ‘immeasurable’ contributions of CAN and other religious bodies in the state for adding voice to the struggle for the formation of the state child rights law implementation Committee to drive home its policy Asks by the year 2023.
He thanked the CAN leadership in the state for its supportive role in the collective efforts to fully implement the CRL document in Kogi state.
