In Kogi, child labour thrives despite Child Rights Act
Dr Badewa T. Adejugbe-Williams is the founder of Royal School of Education Foundation. She is an educational therapist and specialist with specialization in children and adults with disabilities and learning difficulties. In this interview, she spoke on the challenges in teaching disabled children.
The children, who are between ages 3-8, including a 8-month-old baby, where all whisked away by a 39-year-old farmer, Gabriel Ajor, who reportedly sold them to a human trafficking syndicate in Owerri, Imo State, for N400,000.
The children whose whereabouts are yet to be ascertained include Goodway Kenneth, 5; Kindness Kenneth, 3; Shedrack John, 6; Goodday John, 6; Confidence Ojonuba, 8 months old; Gift Gabriel, 6 and Destiny Gabriel, 3.
The three parents whose children were trafficked include Kenneth Omale, John Attah and Mr Ojonuba.
Ajor, a well-known member of the community who had lived in the eastern part of the country for many years, seemed to have leveraged on his close affinity with the parents of the victims and promised to give their children free educational training to sway them into releasing the kids for him.
One of the parents, Mr Kenneth Omale who spoke with Daily Trust, said life had been devastating for him and the wife since their only two kids were taken away by Ajor, whom he said was his brother in-law.
“The incident happened in March this year. Gabriel Ajor is my in-law. I married his sister. Whenever he comes around to the community, he usually stayed with my family. I have never suspected he is into such evil.
“He told us that there was a woman in Imo State that owns a school and wanted to help him by training his children in the school.
“According to him the woman said she would prefer to assist him by training his children rather than giving him money,” Kenneth said.
Kenneth is appealing to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP), security agencies and
In 2003, Nigeria adopted the Child Rights Act (CRA) to domesticate the Convention on the Rights of the Child in its quest to protect rights of the Nigerian child.
The Child Rights Act was passed into law in the country in July 2003 and subsequently assented to by the then President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in September 2003, and promulgated as the Child Rights Act 2003.
The Act is a legal document that sets out the rights and responsibilities of a child in Nigeria and provides for a system of child justice administration.
According to the CRA, a child is viewed as a person who is below the age of 18.
Amongst the rights specifically provided for the child in the CRA include: right to a name, right to survival and protection, right to dignity, right to parental care, protection and maintenance, right to be free, compulsory and universal primary education, right to have his best interest considered paramount in any matter involving him, right to protection against abuse and torture, right to freedom from discrimination and right to family.
Others are right to freedom of movement, right to protection from sexual abuse and exploitation, right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly, right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, right to leisure, recreation and cultural activities, right to health and health services, right of a child in need to special care and protection, right of the unborn child to protection against harmful social and cultural practices and right not be imprisoned with the mother.
In Kogi State, the Child Rights Act was ratified and enacted by the state assembly in 2009 making the law effective and operational in the state.
However, seven years after the adoption of the CRA, it has remained a mere “paper tiger” as the implementation and enforcement of most of the provisions contained in it has remained a mirage.
Cases of child labour, child trafficking, child molestation and other forms of abuse and harmful practices against “the best interest of the child” are still rife in many parts of the state.
In March this year, seven children where trafficked from Nwajala community in Ibaji Local Government Area of the state and taken to the eastern part of the country. other child rights organisations to come to his aid to ensure the safe rescue of his two children and the other kids.
This case is one out of many cases of exploitation, abuse and molestation children face due to their defenseless and vulnerable status in the society.
It is common to see underaged children and teenagers crossing the streets/major roads in Lokoja, Ankpa, Okene, Kabba and many other towns/villages in the state hawking articles such as kola nut, sachet water, fruits, vegetables, groundnuts and a host of others.
Curiously enough, these children who are of school age are often found hawking during school hours when they were expected to be in school receiving lessons that would prepare them for a productive future.
Apart from not having the privilege to be educated, these children are often exposed to various dangers such as being knocked down by vehicles, sexual abuse/ exploitation especially the girl child, abduction/kidnapping and child trafficking, amongst others.
Recently, Kogi State government inaugurated its 4th Children Parliament where various stakeholders spoke on the odds affecting children in the state and the need for government to enforce the provisions of the Child Rights Act.
In his advocacy speech at the event, a former National Representative of Kogi State Children’s Parliament, Muh’dMuzzammil Omeiza Akaba, expressed worry over the nonimplementation of the CRA progressiveness,” he said.
He commended the new administration’s effort in the construction of a state owned orphanage home as well as investing in the free treatment for children of ages 0-5 years, urging it to do more for the wellbeing of the Kogi children.
Also speaking, the newly inaugurated Speaker of the 4th Kogi Children’s Parliament, Oluwamayowa Gbeja, said the new parliament would ensure the Child Rights Act is fully domesticated and implemented in the state.
He said the parliament will set up a taskforce that will go round to ensure those that engaged in all forms of child abuse were arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the Child Rights Act.
In its resolutions during the inaugural sitting at the Government House, Lokoja, the Children’s Parliament called for an end to all forms of child abuse especially hawking by children during school hours and urged government to enforce a policy on free and compulsory education for children.
The Children’s’ Parliament also called on the state government to ensure prompt payment of salaries to workers to enable parents shoulder the responsibilities of their children’s education.
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, on the occasion said his government has incorporated the issues that concerned the wellbeing of children and youth in the state in his “new direction blueprint”.
Bello, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Ayoade Folashade Arike, said government placed high premium on the provision of quality education for children in the state.
The governor assured members of the Children’s Parliament of government’s support, saying that all resolutions that would be passed by the parliament regarding the welfare of children in the state would be implemented by government.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Bolanle Amupitan, said the Children’s Parliament would “serve as a voice for the voiceless children in the state”.
Mrs Amupitan said the ministry was working with major stakeholders and nongovernmental organisations “to make Kogi uncomfortable for those involved in the business of kidnapping, sale, abuse and molestation of children.”