The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has advised UNICEF and the Child Rights Information Bureau of his ministry to formulate action plans to end violence against children.
Lai Mohammed gave the advice in Ibadan at a two-day media dialogue with editors and reporters on the commemoration of the launch of the year of action to end violence against children.
Represented by Head of the Child Rights Information Bureau, Mrs. Rose Madu, said violence against children must end in Nigeria.
He said that issues of children were many, but the workshop was to sensitise the populace using the various media platforms available in
the country.
The minister said that the objective of the advocacy would not be achieved if the media was not carried along.
A Child Protection Specialist with UNICEF, Ms. Sharon Oladiji, said that Nigeria had many laws protecting children in the country, but the
laws were not adequately implemented.
Ms. Oladiji said the creation of family courts vested with jurisdiction to hear cases that would help protect “the child” and prevent trafficking was encouraging.
“We have good laws, but what we have suffered is implementation. Government should also provide the establishment of voluntary homes to take care of children that are suffering,” she said. The child protection specialist said UNICEF wanted a world that would be void of any form of violence against children by the year 2030.
The Deputy Director, Planning Research Department of the National Population Commission (NPC), Mr. Okey Unogu, said six out of every 10 children experienced some forms of violence.
Mr. Unogu said there were three forms of violence suffered by children in the country – physical, emotional and sexual violence.
He said that a survey conducted among children in 2014 showed girls within the ages of 13 to 24 years were likely to experience more of
sexual and emotional violence.
Unogu said boys suffered more of physical and emotional violence, adding that over 50 per cent of children between six and 11 years
suffered physical violence.
He said that perpetrators of violence against children were always people that were known by the children.
According to him, only 38 per cent of girls and 27 per cent of boys will tell someone about the issue.
