Anambra govt inaugurates committee to protect child’s rights, fight abuse

A Committee for the promotion and protection of Child’s Rights Act has been inaugurated in Anambra State.

The committee members were inaugurated by the State Government in collaboration with the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC).

ROLAC, funded by the European Union is a programme that regulates the Federal Government’s fight on the reform of the rule of law and anti-corruption.

The Committee made up of twenty-eight members from relevant ministries and agencies in the state is saddled with the task of checkmating child abuse in the state by collecting relevant data on children being abused physically, sexually, psychologically and morally, through beating and torturing.

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In a speech at the event, the Commissioner, for Women and Children Affairs, Mrs Ndidi Mezue, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Azuka Ofomata said that Anambra makes it tops in everything good hence it has been the first to embrace and enact Child Rights Law to check abuse of children in the society.

According to her, the state Ministry of Women and Children Affairs has a lot of interest in the child’s welfare which informed its interest in checking matters like violence, non-academic training, torture and molestation of children.

The Commissioner believes that something good will come out of the programme, especially if the committee shows passion and commitment to the responsibility given them.

ROLAC Project Coordinator, Mrs Josephine Onah said the project is a 4-year programme that commenced in 2017 and will continue until 2021 and they are far into the second year of the implementation of the programme in Anambra.

She said their work covers four components that seek to support the affected implementation of the administration of criminal justice law, improving access to justice for women, children and persons with disability.

ROLAC facilitator, Mr Ugonna Ezekwem said giving work to children that is beyond them to do is an abuse to the child adding that a child is any human being under eighteen years old according to the law.

Ezekwem, enjoined the committee members to look inwards to fish out perpetrators of the evil acts.

Other officers from ROLAC include the Programme Director, Dr Bob Manus, National Programme Manager, Mr Danladi Clark and Component Manager that is driving this area, Mrs Pricilla Ankult.