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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Country Director of SOS Children’s Village, Eghosa Erhumwunse, has taken a swipe at state governments for undermining and downplaying the rights of children, by failing to adhere to the Child’s Rights Protection Act.
Erhumwunse, who spoke in Abuja, at a round table with stakeholders on how the Act can be implemented to ensure that children are not maltreated by caregivers and guardians, said state governments just enacted the Act with implementing it.
Represented by the Chief Programmes Office, of SOS Children’s Village, Ayodeji Adelopo, he said: “On implementation, I do not think we can talk about that because just recently, we celebrated the fact that all the 36 states in Nigeria have enacted the Child Protection Right Act.
“That is on one leg. We have a number of system and structures required to make it effective such as the family court and the Child Right Implementation Committee.
“Many states do not have and the states that have, their terms of engagement which it is expected for them to be meeting frequently is not adhered to because the system and structures for them to continuously meet and review the implementation of the laws in their states are not there. There is a long way to go.
“We want to start by commending the different state governments who have enacted the law. But there is still a long way to go and that is also part of the call for the government to do the needful by fulfilling the rights of the child.”
On the training, he said: “One of the key objectives is for stakeholders to understand the spirit of national guidelines to alternative care and for them to understand their responsibilities as stakeholders and duty bearer and also to do the needful towards promoting and enforcing the rights of children.
“So, again, the focus of this meeting is actually the guideline on alternative care of children which itself derive some of its content from the Child’s Right Act.
“We are aware that the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs is already working on it. We commend the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.”
Also, the North Central Zonal Coordinator of the Child Protection Network of Nigeria, Kaneng Rwang-Pam, said the country was at the point where steps are being taken to ensure the protection of children.
Rwang-Pam, who is also the Knowledge Person of the Domestication of Alternative Care Guideline, said: “So far, in the area of domestication we have done very well. We have the alternative care guidelines.
“As we speak right now we have 90 per cent domesticated in over 30 States and domestication process took a number of steps in collaboration with states ministries of women affairs.”
