By Dirisu Yakubu

THEIR exposure to the incredible mileage of newspapers very early in life prepared them for the noble cause they’ve been championing in the past few years.

For Theresa Okparame Onokpasa and Lydia-Mary Orume Onokpasa, nothing justifies the endless incidences of child rights violations Nigeria has become infamous for.

Aware of the premium placed on the lives of children, particularly in advanced nations of the world, the teenage sisters set out quite early in life to drum awareness on the need to protect children across the land from all forms of abuse, perpetrated not only by criminal agents, taking advantage of poverty that is the lot of many families, but also by foster parents subjecting their children to untold hardships.

At 16 and 15 years of age respectively, Theresa and Lydia-Mary have continued to inspire millions of kids with their advocacy of a world where children, being the leaders of tomorrow, occupy a pride of place. Not long ago, the kid sisters authored What Happens, a novella exposing the ills of child abuse in the country.

Thus far, the book has helped galvanize inputs of governments at the three tiers on the imperative of domesticating the Child’s Right Act, to checkmate the menace that is fast becoming a thing of worry for all and sundry.

Not surprisingly, Theresa and Lydia-Mary Onokpasa recently brought the Federal Government and stakeholders to a table at a workshop they organised under the auspices of the Kidsright International Foundation in Abuja.

The need to protect the rights of children, create a living condition to pave way for the realisation of their God’s given talents was the focus of the workshop, which had in attendance representatives of a cabinet minister as well as the Office of the Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission.

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They specifically drew the attention of the public to Section 15 (Right of a child to free, compulsory and universal primary education, etc) of the Child’s Rights Act, wondering why the law prescribed that in the event of failure of a parent or guardian to enrol a child under his care in primary school, such a person would pay a fine of N2000 or spend a month in prison in lieu of fine or both.

Addressing participants at a workshop on child abuse, organised by Kidsright International Foundation, child’s rights activist, Theresa, who spoke on child trafficking, forced labour amongst sundry violations, urged abused children to muster the courage to speak up and tell their stories.

“As a child, looking into the world, especially our country Nigeria, it is difficult to see children going through sexual molestation and not being empatic. So, I am trying to spread awareness and advocate for change because of my human empathy. I want children in Nigeria, particularly those that have been victims of molestation to know that they are empowered.

I want them to know that the law supports them and that as long as they have a voice, they should be able to speak about their cases. They should not be limited because of what they have passed through.

Similarly, Lydia-Mary told Arewa Voice her journey to the world of activism, saying: “From the age of six, we were brought up to read newspapers and we did this regularly. Every then and now, I come across children, particularly the girl-child, being molested. At that young age, I developed the zeal to rise up and speak for them, especially those who do not have a voice.”

She, however, frowned at the slap-on-the-wrist N2000 fine meant as sanction for child’s right abusers, noting that with the paltry sum, those who see rights violation of children as sports would only continue in the nefarious act.

She continued: “I am not happy with the stipulation of N2000 fine for abusers of children. The fine and prison term will only serve to encourage this evil practice. These laws should be reviewed to make provision for stiffer sanctions,” she added.

Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, decried the fact that some states in the country are yet to domestic the Child Right’s Act. Represented by Adekunle Balogun-Ashry, the Minister counselled parents and guardians to accord child’s right a pride of place, noting that until children are protected from the ills of the society; they would struggle to realise their potentials early in life.

On her part, Sa’adetu Baba Shettima, Deputy Director, National Human Rights Commission dismissed insinuations in some quarters that Northern states are reluctant to adopt the Child’s Rights Act, stressing that on the contrary, some of the governors were only concerned about the culture of the people which the act may not have fully covered.

She said: “Since 2020, there has been tremendous encouragement from the governors of Northern states. I am not sure there is a state in the North that is saying it is not interested in the Child’s Rights Act.

I spoke with Governor Babagana Zulum last year and he told me he was overseeing the process of having the Act take firm roots in Borno state, in such a way that it will suit the people’s norms and culture. Most of the governors in the North are already working on the Act.” She called for a sustained awareness campaign to get Nigerians acquainted with the rights of the child.

Vanguard News Nigeria