Women
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The Lagos State government begins implementing its child protection policy
| By Anayo Ezugwu | Feb 6, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT |
THE Lagos State Government has started implementing its child protection policy which Governor Akinwumi Ambode brought into being through an executive order recently. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, coordinator, Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, DSVRT, said the executive order highlights the importance and priority which the state government placed on protecting the lives of children.
According to her, it applies to all state government organisations, all schools, child centered institutions, orphanages and child related institutions located in the state, both public and private. Vivour-Adeniyi said the state government was determined to implement the executive order to ensure the protection of children.
She said the need for the landmark engagement was crucial considering the fact that schools have resumed and there was need for key stakeholders such as principals, school administrators, Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, public and private school guidance counsellors, evaluators and others to become conversant with the provisions of the policy.
“The Lagos State Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy must be used wherever services are provided for children and care givers are mandated to adopt a Child Protection policy in their respective institutions, nuanced to suit their respective peculiarities. The major aim of the policy is to provide clear direction for reporting disclosures of abuse and commitment to the development of good practice and sound procedures to keep children safe. The policy also ensures that child protection concerns are identified, referrals are handled sensitively, professionally and in ways that support the needs of the child’s wellbeing.”
Vivour-Adeniyi, who warned all child centered institutions in the state, both public and private, that the state government would no longer tolerate negligence in ensuring the safety of children under their supervision.
She affirmed that failure to adopt and implement the policy would amount to both civil and criminal actions and that copies of the policy in the form of booklets were being distributed in the state.
Lagos State is one of the states in the country, which adopted and assented to the Child Rights Act of 2003 on May 2,8 2007. The belief at the time of its adoption, re-enactment and passage was that it would bring respite to the Nigerian child from guardians, neighbours, teachers, mentors, senior colleagues and others who, in their privileged position to have interactions with the child, might subjugate and degrade them for their personal aggrandisement.
This also extends to those charged with the responsibility of imparting knowledge, discipline and moulding the child, who also in their zeal to attain a level of accomplishment in them embrace excesses and either deliberately or intermittently stroll the corridor of child abuse.
The United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989, burdened with the continuous exploitation and subjugation of the child, adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Nigerian Child. Similarly, the then OAU assembly of heads of states and government adopted the African Union Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child in July 1990.
Although Nigeria ratified both Conventions in 1991 and 2000, respectively, it took another 13 years for the country to deem it important to have it domesticated. The Child Rights Act which was assented to in 2003 is a legal document that sets out the rights and responsibilities of a child in Nigeria and provides for a system of child justice administration. More than 15 years after, only 24 states have adopted and re-enacted their respective Child Rights law.
Sadly, its adoption has done little to provide reprieve for the Nigerian child in particular and children all over the world. Even in countries where the protection of children is of importance to their government, instances of abuse continue to abound and grow.
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