The Honorable Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen has disclosed that sixteen Family Courts have been set up in the Federation in order to ensure Child- Friendly Justice for Children either as Victims or Offenders of the law.
The Minister who said this while addressing the Media on Tuesday, May 24th 2022, in commemoration of the upcoming 2022 Children’s Day Celebration, further disclosed that through her Ministry policies have been developed and series of programs carried out to ensure safety and protection of children. One of which includes the launching of ‘the Movement for Good to End Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria by 2030’, among others.
Revealing the theme of this year’s Children’s Day Celebration which usually comes up on the 27th of May, to be ‘Strengthening supportive systems for the protection of the Nigeria child; A wake up call’, Tallen noted that there is a need to redouble efforts in the protection of the Nigeria Child from all forms of violence and abuse, and as such, the theme resonates with emerging issues and concerns that have affected the children’s well-being.
According to her: “Despite the efforts of Government and other stakeholders in addressing the rate of child vulnerability, ranging from child adoption, forced trafficking, battering, rape, child marriage, forced labor, exploitation and ritual killings perpetrated by close family members and caregivers the menace is increasing daily”. She said.
“It is more worrisome in the recent increase of violence in schools where children are physically abused online and offline, allegedly perpetrated by their peers and teachers who are supposed to protect and shield them from violence”. She added.
While urging parents and guardians to devote more time in supervising the activities of their children, the Women Minister also enjoined youngsters to shun any negative activities including drugs and substance abuse, cultism and focus on their academics.
Dame Pauline Tallen also seized the occasion of the media briefing to disclose that her Ministry is equally commemorating the 2022 World Menstrual Health and Hygiene Day with the theme “Making Menstruation a Normal Fact of Life by 2030”.
She therefore called on other MDAs and Stakeholders including Airlines, Schools, Security Agencies to join in the campaign to make menstruation a normal fact of life by setting up Pad Bank in their spaces and urged collaboration with existing structures to End Violence Against Children in order to secure a brighter future for our Country.