By Scholastica Joseph, Makurdi
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Pauline Tallen, has said that 31 states in the country have domesticated the Child Rights Act.
Speaking on Saturday in Makurdi at the capacity building for the state children parliament members organized by the Save the Children International in collaboration with Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Benue State, the minister said that the parliament offered children to develop skills and promote unity.
Represented by Senior Community Development Official, SCDO, Emmanuel Alhassan, the minister promised that the ministry would continue to fight against vices against the children to ensure that the rights are protected.
She said, “Our coming together as children is to talk on issues concerning us, this is a way to have interaction among yourself on issues of child abuse, child labour, forced marriage and other things as connected in the child rights act.
“The ministry of Women Affairs is to see that domestication of Child Rights Act is carried out in most of the states. As of today, 31states have domesticated the Child Rights Act and the ministry will continue to see that the rights of children are protected.”
In her keynote address, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Tabitha Igirgi, regretted that the voice and participation in public policy by children in the state had not been heard for the past six years.
Mrs Igirgi, who was represented by the ministry’s permanent secretary, Finbar Ngufan, commended Save the Children International for its support and commitment to ensuring the full participation and inclusiveness of children in the state.
“From year 2014 to date, children and young people in Benue State were virtually voiceless in making inputs into formulating of public policies that affect them at all level of governance.
“It is worthy of note that the establishment of children’s parliament represents a positive response to the need to listen young voices and inculcate in them the values of democracy.”
Earlier, the field manager of Save the Children International, Oluwaseyi Abejide, said the purpose of inaugurating the state children parliament was to promote the right of children and to be part of noble intervention to the full sect of children parliament.
Abedeji noted that “The event is opening a new page in the history of children in Benue State.”
