By Victoria Ojeme & Regina Otokpa

ABUJA—Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, yesterday, canvassed the establishment of family courts across states of the federation to protect the rights of children in the country.

She spoke in Abuja during a media parley, as part of activities to flag off the National Children Day celebration, scheduled to hold on May 27 with the theme, Lets Build a Culture of Peace and Security for the Nigerian Child.

Maina said: “I also wish to call for the establishment of family courts, not only in the 23 states that passed the child rights law, but throughout the country to serve as a practical domestication of our collective resolve to ensure the future of our country.”

Speaking on the imperative of protecting the rights of the Nigerian child against abuse and violence, Hajia Maina urged state governments to take steps to ensure the domestication of the Child Rights Act, in order to save children from further exploitation and abuse in generations to come.

She decried the effect of the rising incidences of terror on children and the violent environment they were confronted with, noting that the effect on the child was adverse.

He said: “It is very disturbing to note that of recent children are very often victims of the ugliest and most shameful human activities. No child can realise his or her potential in the midst of violence yet some children are growing up surrounded by insecurity brought about by unpatriotic Nigerians who want to destabilise the country.

“In Nigeria today, many children are silently suffering the effect and consequences of crisis which takes many forms; either on the streets, in schools, families and in communities. We know that violence is not started by children, but at the end of the day, they experience the negative consequences as their lives are disrupted, shattered or even lost.”

She stressed the need for full implementation of the child rights laws, especially in the 23 states where the bill had been passed into law.

She said: “While commending the 23 states that so far passed the child rights law in their respective states, let me, however, call on them to ensure its full implementation so as to save our future generation from exploitation, abuse, violence and even death.”

She disclosed that the ministry was finalising talks to establish a new national plan of action on Orphans and Vulnerable Children, OVC, and develop a proposal to enable the ministry key into Almajiri education with a focus on vocational skills.

The minister also called on families and stakeholders to respect the rights of children in any decision taken in the country to move the nation forward, saying such could forestall further conflicts in the country.