Edo State government has tasked parents, guardians, care givers and members of the public on the protection of children and promotion of the rights of the child.
The state government gave the charge to stakeholders during a public sensitisation on the promotion of the rights of the child with the theme, “Addressing Cultural and Social Norms that Perpetuate Child Violence”; organised by the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Issues in collaboration with the Edo State Child Rights Implementation Committee (SCRIC) in Benin City on Friday, 17 January.
Addressing members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at the Press Centre in Benin City, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Issues (SDGI), Mrs. Joy Ihensekhien pointed out that the exercise is aimed at enlightening the public on the rights of the child as enshrined in the child rights law and the existence of the Child Rights Implementation Committee (SCRIC) created by law for the implementation of the child rights law.
The Permanent Secretary stated further that the child rights Implementation committee ensures that the four major planks of the child rights law which centres on elimination of discrimination against the child, best interest of the child, child protection and the view of the child must be heard; are implemented.
“The essence of the sensitization is to abreast the public on the child rights law and the existence of a committee, the child rights implementation committee set up by law to ensure the implementation of the law.
“The four principles of the law are the elimination of discrimination against the child, best interest of the child, child protection and the view of the child must be heard. The committee ensures these four principles of the child rights law are implemented and ensures that every child has equal rights, access to free education, free healthcare services, access to anything that will make them useful in life and ensuring that anyone who abuses the child faces the wrought of the law”.
Responding, chairman of the Edo State Council of the NUJ, Festus Alenkhe bemoaned the alarming rate of molestation of children in the state.
While assuring that all the media outfits in the state will be mobilised to give the sensitisation exercise adequate publicity, Alenkhe who is also a crime anchor on Edo Broadcasting Service Television (EBS TV) urged the ministry to educate the public that the government has free medical, legal and counseling services for victims of child violence to ensure parents of victims are not dettered from reporting such cases for lack of financial resources.
The committee members led by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry took the sensitisation campaigns to Ekiosa Market, Oka Market and other markets in the Benin metropolis and distributed fliers to the traders at the various markets.
Some of the market women asked questions on the use of children from other states being used as domestic staff. Officials of the ministry clarified that such persons must be above the age of 18, adding that if the kids are less than 18, those using them as domestic staff will be prosecuted in accordance with the child rights law.