Health
UNICEF, has supported the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Kaduna State Ministry of Human Services and Social Development
(MHSSD) to strengthen child protection through traditional and religious leaders.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that UNICEF, going forward would support NOA and the ministry to establish multipurpose community centres to strengthen child protection services in Zaria and Kaduna North LGAs.
Speaking to NAN at the closing of the two-day training of the religious and taditional leaders on Tuesday in Kaduna, the State Director of NOA, Alhaji Hamisu Abubakar, said the engagement was the outcome of a high-profile advocacy visit to the Emir of Zazzau, Amb. Ahmed Bamalli by NOA, MHSSD and UNICEF.
He explained that the prior visit to the emir of was on the need to improve the Almajiri system and encourage the enrollment of out-of -school adolescent girls (0SAG), where an agreement was reached on the need to establish
community structures and provide training on child protection services in the State.
Abubakar, therefore, said the training would equip the traditional and religious leaders with the requisite knowledge of child protection.
He added that it was also aimed at educating them on psychosocial support and mental counselling to children in communities.
The director urged the participants to be focused, adding that it would assist them in achieving the objectives of the gathering particularly during the conduct of five-day community dialogue with critical stakeholders which would follow immediately at the community level.
Abubakar thanked UNICEF, Kaduna State Government and other partners for finding NOA worthy of partnership.
He restated the agency’s committment in ensuring diligence on their part towards protecting children in the state from all forms of violence and neglect.
Also, Mr Tanimu Markus, the Social Welfare Officer of MHSSD, said child protection was the core mandate of the ministry.
He added that the ministry has been keen in providing social services on issues of abuse, neglect, rape and lost children in the state.
“Presently, the ministry has an orphanage home. The issue has gone bad to the extent that women give birth and dump the babies in refuse or street,”he lamented.
Markus, therefore, said the ministry usually take the babies and give them livelihood support to ensure thar they survive.
He urged the participants to respond to issues of child abuse with keen interest, while calling on them to ensure due course in follow up for prosecution of perpetrators.
Abubakar also urged the citizenry to handle with outmost care, issues especially of rape, adding that, such cases should be referred to higher authorities or special places like Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC).
A Resource Person, Mrs Rachael Sankey, who presented on psychosocial support and mental counseling, said the training was aimed at helping the participants understand the situation survivors found themselves in.
Sankey, who is also a Public Health Nurse at Gwamna Awon General Hospital, added that it was also to help them see how they could come in as community heads and religious leaders who have influence in the
society.
“We want to ensure they understand their roles in helping people to report incidence and bring about the change we want to see in our communities,”she said.
According to her, it doesn’t matter how much the government invest in curtailing cases of abuse, noting, “if the traditional and religious leaders do not come in to help, the success that is aimed would never be achieved.”
Sankey called for massive awareness creation especially to parents to understand that sexual abuses most at times are perpetrated by close family, friends and neighbors.
“Such kind of conversation will help in preventing incidents before it happens, and we wouldn’t have to be struggling to go to court.
“We are looking forward to having a family court in Kaduna where issues of abuses such as rape will be handled in the right environment and ensure speedy justice,”she said.
One of the participants, Malam Musa Mahmood, the Sarkin Hausawa of Kaduna (Leader of Hausa ethnic group in Kaduna), commended UNICEF and other stakeholders for expanding the scope towards child protection.
He pledged to make use of his societal position in advocating for the rights of children and standing up against their abuses of different types.
Mahmood advised the state government and Nigeria at large to create an account dedicated to taking care of children especially those who unfortunately found themselves abused sexual.
Another participant, Rev. Solomon Bidoli, the CAN Secretary in Kaduna South, lamented the rise in rape cases in the state.
Describing rape as a menace, he pledged to redouble his efforts in using the pulpit to stress the need for proper child upbringing and speaking out against abuse of children and adults.
NAN reports that the training, supported by UNICEF, was facilitated by NOA in collaboration with the Kaduna State MHSSD.
The participants were drawn from Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Chikun, Igabi and Zaria LGAs of the State.(NAN)
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December 13, 2023 @ 8:58 GMT|
Tags: Alhaji Hamisu Abubakar
