…Urges high-profile Nigerians to partner with group to fight child abuse

A non-governmental organization, Child Protection Network (CPN, a UNICEF-affiliated organisation working towards fighting the menace of child abuse in Osun State has called on philanthropists and well-to-do Nigerians to partner with them in the eradication of child abuse.

The group made the call on Tuesday in Osogbo during its peace gathering meeting held to enlighten the public about Child Abuse Rights, Laws And Jail Terms for offenders.

CPN stressed that much funds are required to prosecute child abuse cases adding that ‘more lawyers are needed and no one is willing to defend a case without money considering the situation of the country’.

The group lamented that lack of funds has been a major obstacle and barrier in prosecuting child abuse cases calling on the government and well-meaning Nigerians to support the group to treat cases.

Speaking, the State Coordinator of CPN, Mrs Titilola Odetayo said the peace gathering was declared all over the country for CPN members to raise their voices against child abuse and to enlighten parents and the public “as we are doing it here CPN all over the country is having their gathering.

She lamented that children are been molested at home and school because some of them are ignorant of their rights.

Mrs Odetayo decried the rate at which some parents and grandmas subject their children to labour by giving them goods to hawk around the streets, adding that any child hawking on the streets had been exposed to dangers.

She urged the government at all levels to address social ills such as child labour, trafficking, and child hawking which ultimately affect the growth and development of the child.

“We do a lot of sensitisations because most of the children are ignorant of their Rights and some parents too did not know the Child Rights Act, they do not know what it contains.

“Some Grandmas are using their grandchildren to make money by giving them goods to hawk and some of these grandparents have turned their grandchildren into money-making machines.

“We are begging the government to plan for the less privileged children by creating policies to cater for them. There is a need to reduce children hawking, after all, they have the right to health, the right to life, the right to talk and many more. Though we know it may not be possible for us to eradicate child hawking we are begging the government to intervene and do something urgently to reduce it.

In her remarks, the Legal Adviser to CPN, Mrs Ayoola Olusegun explained that the organisation’s major role was overseeing the welfare of children and ensuring their rights.

She admitted that since the inauguration of the state chapter of the Network in Osun, the body had won not less than 300 cases in the state and still counting.

“All the child abuse we are talking about is provided by the law which all girls child secondary school should know. Our gathering here is to also enlighten the public about the existence of the Laws and to inform them that any perpetrator that is caught will face the wrath of the law. people should know it’s a crime.

Echoing similar views, the Treasurer, Mrs Olufunmi Olujide called on philanthropists and well-to-do Nigerians to partner with the CPN in the fight against child abuse.

“We need help because we can’t do it alone we are not receiving salary from anyone we are using our money to take Care of the children.

Also, a member of CPN, Olwaseun Oluwadamilare called on parents and guardians to always monitor their children just as he urged them to give birth to a number of children they can cater for.

He said: “Recently we partnered with a friend organization to carry our survey on child abuse in some secondary schools in Osun and during the survey we discovered that a lot of child labour was going on in the state. We were able to see that some students are the ones paying their own school fees by themselves. We intervened and took the matter upon ourselves by paying for the student.

” A lot of parents are giving birth to a number of children they can’t train so we are appealing to parents to be up and doing so that their children will have a brighter future. Every abuse that a child experiences will always have a stigma on their marriage so parents and government should help us in training these children so that our environment can be sanitized for peace and harmony”, he concluded

Another member, Seun Ayosola begged parents to assist the group in prosecuting cases by teaching their children to speak out of any abuse in school.

He noted that some parents are the ones advising their children not to speak out whenever their rights are being trampled upon especially when it comes to rape cases.

Ayosola said many cases of such have been lost in court because parents of the victims did not allow their children to speak out.