Children Day: Senate to Parley State Assemblies on Child Rights Act Domestication
Osinbajo cautions parents against harmful practices
Senate President Bukola Saraki is expected to meet Speakers of State Houses of Assembly very soon to press for domestication of the Child Rights Act at the state level.
The Senate President made this known at a forum organised by female diplomats, career women and women in politics during the fourth annual edition of SHE in Abuja.
SHE Forum is a registered Pan-African women development, leadership and life style organisation founded by Mrs. Inimfon Etuk.
Fatima Kakuri, who represented the Senate President on gender, said “Senator Saraki is a gender sensitive person”, hence he appointed her to advise him on female gender issues in order to give women gender equality in Nigeria.
“We have passed the stage of agitating for gender equality; we are now hoping on policies that will change the laws and we are hoping for a better society”, Kakuri, stated.
“The Senate President will be meeting with all the Speakers of the various States Assemblies that are yet to domesticate the Child Rights Act, to discuss the issues militating against its domestication in their various States.”
The founder/Chairperson of SHE Forum Africa and the convener of the gathering said she founded the organisation to help girls and women; to help the girl child achieve their dreams and let nothing hold them back, to em power and encourage women to be politically active.
She added, “SHE Forum is organisation that is set out to make sure that girl child is not limited by religion, culture or public policies”.
On politics she said women are peace lovers and that more involvement of womenin politics would reduce thuggery and violence that mar elections in Nigeria.
“Women are peaceful people, meek and kind therefore their greater involvement in politics will go a long way in reducing thuggery and violence that we always witness prior, during and post elections in Nigeria. For now we are not thinking of forming a political party but maybe sometimes in the future. We want to be in existing political parties for now and get what we want by actively getting involved ,” she added.
The wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, who was in attendance also urged the women to stop the pull-down syndrome that they exhibit when they see any woman who is up.
“We women must learn to encourage ourselves by stopping our pull-down syndrome when we see our fellow women make it to the top and start encouraging them. That is the only way we can catch up with the men.”
Meanwhile, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday cautioned parents and the society against practices that can be inimical to the lives of Nigerian children.
Osinbajo gave the advice at the national Children’s Day celebration in Akure, the Ondo State capital, in a message delivered on his behalf by Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, according to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report.
The acting President said such acts include child marriage, child molestation and other forms of child abuse. He said the country would soon have a special telephone line where children could make distress calls for prompt intervention.
Osinbajo, who promised to protect and defend Nigerian children through the child rights law, however, advised the children to be obedient and hard working.