By Palma Ileye
As Nigeria joins the global community to mark the 2024 Universal Children’s Day, the Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the safety, rights, and well-being of every Nigerian child.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim in a Press Statement issued in her office in Abuja, stated that this year’s theme, “Advancing Children’s Rights for a Sustainable Future,” was both a call to action and a celebration of the progress so far made by the country to uphold the rights of the Nigerian child.
According to her, “As Nigeria joins the global community in commemorating Universal Children’s Day, we reaffirm our commitment to the Government of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu which is committed to creating an environment where every child has access to education, health, and a life free from fear and harm.”
Sulaiman- Ibrahim stated that to demonstrate its dedication to the safety and wellbeing of the Nigerian child, the Federal Government has implemented several actions and measures aimed at ensuring progress in the advancement of their their rights.
These actions, she informed, include among others, the Domestication of the Child Rights Act, CRA 2003, with all the 36 States of the Federation adopting the legislation to ensure the protection of children’s rights under the Nigerian Constitution as well as the implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition, VAPP, Act, 2015 in order to reinforce Nigeria’s stance against all forms of harm toward its youngest citizens.
While expressing government’s
commitment to the Maputo Protocol, she informed further that Nigeria was taking bold actions to combat violence against children through legislative reviews, enhanced policies, and comprehensive child protection frameworks, highlighting also, that at the recently concluded Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, in Bogota, Colombia, the nation made far reaching Global Commitments towards safe guarding the rights of its youngest citizens.
The Minister added that with a view to ensuring investment in Safe Education in the country, over 112 billion Naira has been allocated through the National Plan for Financing Safe Schools, to protect learning environments over the next three years, so as to ensure safety and inclusivity for all children in schools.
On challenges and call to action, the Women Minister noted that difficulties still persist, despite these milestones and therefore called for collective action from parents, educators, policymakers, traditional rulers, and community leaders to address critical issues such as child labor, trafficking, harmful cultural practices which serve as barriers to inclusive education.
“The Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders, will continue to champion inclusive, equitable education, especially for girls and children in underserved communities; Family-centered interventions to create supportive and safe household environments as well as Programs to challenge harmful societal norms, such as child marriage and female genital mutilation,” she said.
She concluded, “On the Ministry’s Upcoming Initiatives, the Minister invited all stakeholders to participate in the 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign scheduled for November 25-December 10, 2024.
“As we celebrate Universal Children’s Day, let us remember that every child represents our collective future. The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs remains unwavering in its mission to build a Nigeria where every child is empowered, protected, and given the environment and tools to thrive.”