Children
By Olasunkanmi Onifade
Abuja, March 27, 2018 (NAN) The Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL) on Tuesday called for more attention toward the protection of the rights of children in the country.
The group’s Zonal Coordinator, North Central Zone, Mr Kolawole Olatosimi, made the call in Abuja at the maiden Congress of the zone with the theme “Protecting and Defending the Rights of the Nigerian Child.”
Olatosimi said children were fast becoming endangered species in many parts of the country as they were increasingly being abused and molested.
He added that “child abuse is in a sorry state and the ratio keeps increasing despite various government interventions.
“Children face different forms of abuse while hawking or begging on the streets.
“That is why we are here as one body of various Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to brainstorm and find ways of addressing the menace.”
Olatosimi said NACTAL was partnering with government to eradicate the menace in Nigerian societies.
The FCT Coordinator of the organisation, Mrs Chinyere Eyoh, who identified the different forms of abuses on children, noted that many children served as maids in households and their rights constantly trampled upon.
The Coordinator of NACTAL in Kwara, Mr Olufemi Oyedeji, said there were many instruments in place for the protection of children.
He, however, added that the lack of structure, funding and political will thwarted the full implementation of the Child Rights Act (CRA) at the state level. (NAN)
OEO/HA
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