BENUE STATE CHILD RIGHT IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE HELD HER QUARTERLY MEETING
Members of the State Child Rights Implementation Committee in a group photograph
~~Denen Daniel. –
The Benue State Child Rights Implementation Committee (SCRIC) held her first quarterly meeting of the year 2022 on the 31st March, 2022 at the Pauline Makka Women Development Centre, Makurdi, Benue state. This meeting was organized with support from Sexual offences Awareness and Response Initiative (SOAR Initiative) and the UN Trust Fund (UNTF).
In her welcome address, the chairman of the committee and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Finbam Grace Ngufan thanked the earmarked stakeholders for the implementation of child rights in the state for availing themselves for the meeting despite seemingly quick notice of such. She went on to invite the participants to make valuable contributions in the course of the meeting, stressing that as seasoned personnel from their various works of life, the leadership of the committee holds their views in high esteem and noted that the participants contributions are sacrosanct towards achieving the overall objectives of the committee. The arrowhead of the committee regarded her a role as a privilege to serve the children of Benue state.
The meeting was presided over by the chairman of the committee and moderated by Mr. Paul Amokha,, the Child Protection Officer at the same ministry, he announced the agenda of the day which paved way for a full-fledged discussion.
The chairman highlighted some key issues which were raised during the last quarter of year 2021 and went ahead to brief the stakeholders on the measures taken so far by the leadership of the committee in addressing them. Among some of these issues was the review and audit of public structures such as police detention centres, schools and correction centres were it has been noticed to be places where the rights of children are grossly infringed. Also, the committee considered the issue of capacity building workshop to trained relevant stakeholders in attending to and addressing of issues pertaining to child rights implementation.
The committee similarly looked into the matter concerning formation of social media platforms which it was observed to be in line with 21st century and will tremendously assist in ensuring seamless sharing of information and thereby, equally creating avenues through which the public generally can reach out to the committee where and whenever the issue of the abuse of child rights arose.
The committee members made suggestions which were accordingly accepted by other members. In this vein, Mr. Chia Ephraim, a representative of the Parent- Teacher Association suggested a sub-committee be formed which was voted positively. The sub-committee which now has members drawn from the Ministry of Justice, Nigeria Police Force, the media, Correction centres, Child Protecting Network, NATIP, and the Secretary of SCRIC, has the mandate of ensuring a full implementation of the provisions of the Child Rights Law of Benue State, 2008.
In a private interview with correspondent, the chairman of the committee and permanent secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development expressed satisfaction with the turn up of members to meetings and their overall contributions towards finding sustainable ways of putting into practical effect the provisions of the Child Rights Law, 2008. Feeding questions from the correspondent, the chairman of the committee decried poor attitudes of parents towards their divine, social and legal responsibility of ensuring good parenting. She called on parents to make recourse to this duty by giving time to monitoring the activities of their wards, noting that such will go a long way in reducing the upward spiral of drug abuse, cultism, criminality and other antisocial activities engaged in by children.
In their separate appreciations, the representative of the Child Protection Network, Mr. Utange Peter and that of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Abigail Gire both thanked the Ministry for regular convening of meetings which they noted is a key thing in the mission to ensuring the rights of the Benue child are protected and the future secured.
The committee abbreviated as SCRIC which has it members drawn from various ministries, departments, agencies, NGOs, Corporate Organization has its mandate of ensuring an efficient and effective implementation of the provisions of the Child Rights Law which is a verbatim of the Child Rights Act, 2003 which aim is to ensure the protection of the rights of children in all spheres of life in accordance with international legal regimes as contained in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
