By Asmau Ahmad
The United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF) and the Federal Government of Nigeria inaugurated the harmonised case management tools for child protection in the country.
The inauguration, which took place in Abuja, had in attendance all 36 states Commissioners for Women Affairs.
Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Ohanenye, while signing the tools and commitment to implement integrated case management tools for vulnerable children and their caregivers, urged the commissioners to ensure its effectiveness in protecting vulnerable children.
Ohanenye decried the increasing cases of abuse, violence, maltreatment and harmful traditional practices affecting children, calling for more actions to address them.
“Those children are our children; every child belongs to the state. So, if any child is been maltreated, you have every right to fight for the child that is been maltreated.
“We have to work together, let everyone be involved,” she said.
According to her, plans are underway for African ministers and commissioners of women affairs to converge and strategise on ways to addressing challenges affecting women and children.
“We will call a meeting of all African women affairs commissioners and ministers and we will have a meeting and relay the meeting to the donors that are eager to help us and tell them to help us in a way that will benefit us and make impact.
“The main reason they are coming to help us are the vulnerable, women and children, and we expect and plead that they help us in a way that poverty will be a thing of the past,” she said.
UNICEF Deputy Country Representative, Ronak Khan, said the tool would aide in addressing the plight of vulnerable children, especially those at the grassroots.
“As we know, there is a report that came out recently that reveal the prolonged armed conflict in Northeast Nigeria.
“It has cost the national economy over $100 billion in the last 13 years. It has displaced children and families leading to child abductions which actually deprives reunification, rehabilitation and reinterpretation.
“All should be managed through the case management system; so, until we have a robust case management system, this will not be possible. This is equally applicable to regular development issues,” she said.
Mr Andrew Madugu, the Director Child Development, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, said: “These are instruments that we need to effectively implement our policies and strategies to take care of vulnerable children.
“With these tools, we will be able to know where the children are coming from, services that will be rendered to them and the end results of the services and see how effective it is.”
Ms Umeh Progress, Children’s Parliament Speaker, called on stakeholders to build the capacity of children’s parliament and address challenges affecting children in Nigeria.
“Children are the future and if we use them in battle, we are destroying the future. We must reclaim them, let us come together with one mindset to make the world a better place for children,” she said.
