By Ayodele Abere
Participants at a public forum to commemorate the 2025 International Day for ‘Street Children’ have urged stakeholders and other segments of the society to synergize for the protection of the rights of children.
They made the appeal in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, during the event organized by the Ekiti Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and a Non-Governmental body, Global Support for Kids Initiative Nigeria and America (GSK Initiative Nigeria).
According to the organisers, the intervention was prompted by the endless challenges faced by the Street Children who are vulnerable to all sorts of abuses in diverse quarters. The Street Children as identified in the various paper presentations hinge on the girl-child and the boy-child who are found in the streets possibly because of no faults of theirs, but that of the society they are and absence of social security on the part of the government.
The theme of the event; “Child Rights Protection and Prosecution of Violators in Accordance With the Nigerian Laws and International Conventions”, was examined from different perspectives to drive home the point that the rights of the child must not be abused.
Commandant, NSCDC, Ekiti, Mr Matthew Enya, decried the way children are found in the streets and most of the times people are not bothered about their wellbeing. He reiterated that children’s protection is the responsibility of everyone.
Country Director, GSK Initiative Nigeria, Mr Soleye Akingbade, blamed parents for the plights of the Street Children. He enjoined parents to carry children along in every decision-making because they are vital components of the family and the society at large. According to him, children indulge in such acts because of what he calls ‘push factors’, underscoring the need for parents to guide against those things that make the children go to the streets.
He also cautioned parents and guardians against the over-pampering of their children and wards. Mr Akingbade admonished parents to avoid the common saying that “they don’t want their children to suffer what they suffered”, thereby indulging them to their own detriment.
A legal practitioner, Barrister Rita Ilevbare, challenged parents to employ understandable language in teaching their children the vital parts of their bodies and the implications if any part is abused. She pointed out that abuse of children mostly emanates from known persons such as fathers, uncles, brothers, pastors, imams, among others.
The lawyer noted that there are many laws in Nigeria to protect the rights of the child, but the drawback is the implementation which she attributed to lack of political will, lack of budgeting for children’s welfare, culture, religion and other militating factors.
Executive Director, GSK Initiative Nigeria, Mr Opeyemi Olowookere, explained that ‘streets connected’ children are among the most vulnerable members of the society. He outlined their challenges to include poverty, abuse, exploitation, lack of access to education and health, stigma and social exclusion.
Mr Olowookere remarked that despite these challenges, the NGO is committed to supporting individuals and organizations working for the protection of children from abuse and neglect in Africa and across the globe. The NGO, he stressed, has been working to promote education and skills development, advocate for change, raise awareness, and advocate for policy change.
Other solutions suggested for the good of the children include free and compulsory education, advocacy visits to stakeholders involved in child’s act,capacity building and training for law enforcement agents, domestication and implementation of Child’s Rights Acts by all States in Nigeria.
Other paper presentations and goodwill messages came from the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Federal Roads Safety Commission, FRSC, National Agency for Trafficking In Persons,NAPTIP, Ministry of Justice, Federation of International Lawyers, FIDA, Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies among other organizations in the state.
