Groups advocate for establishment of family Court in Nigeria

A Non-Governmental Organisation, (NGO), Center for Women, Youth and Community Action, (NACWYCA) and the United States for International Action Development, (USAID), have advocated for the establishment family Courts across the country to curtail the Child rights violations.

They made this known during a two-day media workshop organized by the NACWYCA and USAID in Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital.

The imperative of the child rights law, and bottlenecks to it full implementation in the five states, formed the basis of increased advocacy for the SCALE project funded by the USAID and its partners.

SCALE, which is the acronym of the project, stands for, Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement.

It Is a five-year advocacy project aimed at prioritizing the children in the five states and safe guarding the rights of children through collaborative efforts of the parents, governments, the media and civil society.

According to the executive director of the implementing partner, centre for women, youth and Community action, NACWYCA, Dr Nawani Aboki, the policy Ask of the child rights law include establishment of family court to try children with conflict the law; building of functional safe spaces to accommodate child offenders, Juvenile homes for the rehabilitation of such children; budgetary allocation for CRL implementation and practice direction in line with section 218 of the child rights law, which provides for establishment of government accommodation for children below 18 years safe spaces for children under investigation.

Speaking against the backdrop of non-budgetary allocation for child rights law implementation in the states, on account of paucity of funds, affecting governments’ commitment to steady implementation of the law, Dr Aboki, said, “ordinarily, governments are shouting lack of money, but if you prioritize children, you cannot be talking of resources. Governments must prioritize the rights and education of our children. that is key, and I think that is all that the child rights law is all about; prioritize the children,” Aboki said.

According to him, Civil Society Organizations are advocating for the full implementation of the Child Right Act passed and signed in the year 2003.

Dr Aboki, while speaking on the purpose of the workshop, said media professionals as conveyors and managers of information, were being trained on the Child Rights Law (CRL) implementation so that they could provide to the public and serve as advocates of child rights.

Benue state commissioner of information, culture and tourism, Hon. Michael Umoru Inalegwu, who was a participant in the workshop and head of Benue delegation to the media training, said the workshop was an eye-opener for the Journalists in attendance as it puts bigger task on the Journalists to educate general public and governments.

While calling on Media practitioners to wake up to their responsibilities in educating and enlightening the Public on the importance of giving children the necessary care and protection, Mr. Inalogwu, said most Nigerians are not aware of the Child Right Law and Family Court established in some states of the federation.

Inalegwu, assured that Benue state would mobilize adequate resources and media in the state towards seamless implementation of the child rights law in Benue state since according to him, “state government is worried by the incidence of out-of-school children, child labour and the menace of street children, which the Ortom administration had since given priority attention since assumption of office.”

He promised to facilitate stakeholders engagements on the CRL implementation in Benue state as he hopes the state takes the lead in its implementation because of state government’s disposition to child rights protection.

Participants at the workshop expressed confidence in joining the fight for the Right of Children as contributing their quota in nation-building.

Twenty seven Journalists from Kogi, Kwara, Benue, Nasarawa and plateau states drawn from private and public media organizations, attended the training held at Nasarawa Luxury Hotel in Lafia, capital of Nasarawa state in north central Nigeria.