Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, |
The federal
government has set up a National Joint Task Force for the Prevention of Child
Sexual Abuse and Violence against Children in Nigeria. The move is aimed at
addressing the growing cases of violence against children, especially child
sexual abuse, rape and abduction of innocent children.
The Minister of
Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, who inaugurated the
committee in Abuja, said this was coming on the heels of the recent terror
attacks and abduction of about 200 girls from a government secondary school in
Maiduguri.
Maina noted that whenever there are insurgencies or natural
disasters such as flood, children become very easy targets.
According to her,
children are killed, maimed or abducted, adding that “when there are economic
problems in the family, children are made to hawk in the streets where they are
exposed to all kinds of hazards including child sexual abuse.”
“The continuous
and recent terror attacks and abduction of children from schools in the
North-east region of the country is a clear demonstration of the extent of
violence meted to the Nigerian child."
“This callous act highlights the
need for government to employ a multi- sectoral approach to tackle the scourge
that is eating deep into the fabric of the country," she added.
The
minister disclosed that membership of the taskforce were drawn from various
Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and other relevant stakeholders
that include Nigeria Law Reform Commission, National Human Rights Commission,
and NAPTIP. Others are Legal Aid Council, Public Complaint Commission,
Ministries of Information, Justice, Foreign Affairs, Education and Health as
well as the Nigeria Police, National Orientation Agency (NOA), and the
Christian and Muslim Women Associations of Nigeria, that had been identified as
key actors in child survival, development and protection issues.
Source - ThisDay
Source - ThisDay
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