By Zainab Oyekan
Mrs Olivia Dazyem, Chairperson of the Plateau Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, says the state is fighting for the legal rights of children.
Dazyem, who also doubles as the Special Adviser to Gov. Caleb Mutfwang on Gender, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Wednesday in Jos.
According to her, Plateau is standing firmly on a robust legal foundation for child protection.
“Plateau was an early adopter, domesticating the National Child Rights Act (2003) into its own Child Rights Law in 2005, specifically designed to protect, promote and defend the rights of our children,“ she said.
Dazyem said that the state’s commitment extended beyond the Child Rights Law, as it bolstered its framework with the Disability Rights Law (2005), the Gender and Equal Opportunities Law (2015) and the critical Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law (2022).
She said these laws collectively provided the right legal frameworks for safeguarding children’s fundamental rights within the state.
The chairperson highlighted the existence of dedicated enforcement mechanisms.
She explained that the state’s judiciary had played a pivotal role in this regard as the Chief Justice designated specialised Family Courts at both the High and Magistrates’ levels to enforce the law.
“These courts are expressly tasked with implementing the Child Rights Law and handling issues concerning children’s welfare.
“Furthermore, the VAPP Law mandates a specialised Gender Court, which Plateau has also established,” Dazyam said.
On the number of persons prosecuted for violating the law, she said during her time as Commissioner for Women Affairs in the state, some parents were prosecuted under the Penal Code for “abdicating their responsibilities”.
Dazyem said some parents faced various prison sentences under the VAPP Law 2022 (Section 17), which specifically criminalises such abandonment.
She also said the commission, on its part, had secured three convictions over parental neglect since coming into office two years ago.
“We had a case of a father who brutally inflicted injuries on his son and was convicted and sentenced to three months imprisonment.
“We also have fathers who have sexually molested their daughters and were arrested and prosecuted.
“You will agree with me that these acts are intolerable violations demanding the full force of the state’s legal machinery, “ she said.
The chairperson said having children on the streets was a fundamental breach of child rights laws, often stemming from parental neglect or the fallout of insecurity.
She, however, said that the government’s response to children on the streets was multi-faceted, including actively prosecuting neglectful parents, conducting awareness campaigns, and rescuing children found roaming.
According to her, where reuniting victims with their families is not feasible, the state works with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to provide shelter and orphanage care.
The chairperson also said that there was ongoing collaboration with the Jaamatul Nasril Islam (JNI) to address the Almajiri issue, utilising their shelters and fostering close cooperation.
She, therefore, warned that allowing children to grow up on the streets facing hardships, illnesses, and lack of education was fuelling insecurity and denying them a future.
Dazyem urged all citizens, especially in Northern Nigeria where all states had now domesticated the Child Rights Act, to unite and keep children out of the streets, describing it as essential for both child welfare and state security. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)