FG Pressuring States To Adopt Child Rights Act — Osinbajo

*Says drop in income of families affecting girl child
negatively

Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo has said that the Federal
Government is pushing state governments to adopt the Child Rights
Act and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPPA).

Professor Osinbajo said the federal government noticed that just
26 states have adopted the Child Rights Act, while 29 states have
adopted the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act.

The vice president disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja as he
declared open a two-day national dialogue on girls with the theme
“National Dialogue on Girls: Towards a girl-friendly Nigeria.

The program was organised by the African Child Policy Forum
(ACPF) in collaboration with Women Arise for Change Initiative and
the Africa-wide Movement for Children.

Osinbajo said the choice of theme “towards a girl friendly
Nigeria is an inspired one because it underscores the point that
because of the multi-faceted dimensions of the challenges that
girls face in all aspects of life.

“Over the years, the government has acknowledged that the best
interest of a child shall be of paramount consideration in all its
actions, and this was demonstrated with the enactment of the child
right act in 2003, and more recently, the violence against persons
prohibition act.

“Today, we have noticed that states of the federation have been
very slow in domesticating these laws. So at the National Economic
Council which is the monthly meeting of the governors that I have
the privilege of chairing, we have made a point of working with the
states to ensure that they adopt these Acts in their states and we
have also put in place a monitoring mechanism to push and harass
the states as much as we can to get them to adopt these
legislations.

“This led to the creation of the Human Capital Development Unit
which is a special NEC project headed by a Special Adviser to track
the implementation of relevant policies and laws and track
domestication of legislations

“We have also committed in words and deeds to education so that
we can ensure that no child is denied access to free basic
education. We believe that free and compulsory education of girls
is game changing in many respects and it has been empirically shown
to positively impact the age of marriage and even maternal and
infant mortality.

“Since 2016, the Rule of Law Advisory Team in the Presidency,
and that is located in my office, has been taking a range of steps
towards achieving a strong justice responds in supporting women and
girls, we for strategic partnership with relevant stakeholders,
local and international all of whose commitment have proven very
valuable in supporting our efforts to succeed.

He said the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns have been
empirically shown to have increased school dropout and also low
income families have increasingly experienced child marriages,
adolescent childbearing and gender based violence.

The Vice President however, said the sharp drop in income for
many families in Nigeria, in many low income countries and all over
the world have resulted in families making choices that almost
always disfavour the girl child.

“Of course female children have suffered disproportionately from
the displacement and deprivation from insurgency and conflicts in
the North East and other parts of the country”, he noted.

Professor Osibanjo revealed that to ensure effective
coordination of responses to cases of sexual and gender based
violence, the Rule of Law Team in his office supported the
establishment of sexual and gender based violence response teams
across the country.

In her opening remarks at the event, the Minister of Women
Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen, described the
dialogue as a clarion call on government as well as well-meaning
individuals to support the girl child.

She said despite the milestones already reached, the girl child
still faces a lot of challenges such as early marriage, rape and
other forms of child abuse. There is no day I do not receive such
reports not only in Abuja but also all over the country.

President, Women Arise and host of the dialogue, Dr Joe
Okei-Odumakin, in her keynote address, commended the Vice President
for his passion for the girl child.

Okei-Odumakin while recognizing the progress so far made, said
persistent challenges still faced the Nigerian girls.

“Nigeria has one of the highest child marriage prevalence rates
in Africa and our girls are also at high risk of abduction,
displacement and even death due to insecurity and conflict caused
by insurgents and armed criminals. Covid-19 pandemic had made
things worse”, she added.

She listed case after case of girl abuse that her organisation,
Women Arise, had handled all over the country “to show the
horrendous violence that the girl child suffers in Nigeria”

*Says drop in income of families affecting girl child
negatively

Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo has said that the Federal
Government is pushing state governments to adopt the Child Rights
Act and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPPA).

Professor Osinbajo said the federal government noticed that just
26 states have adopted the Child Rights Act, while 29 states have
adopted the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act.

The vice president disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja as he
declared open a two-day national dialogue on girls with the theme
“National Dialogue on Girls: Towards a girl-friendly Nigeria.

The program was organised by the African Child Policy Forum
(ACPF) in collaboration with Women Arise for Change Initiative and
the Africa-wide Movement for Children.

Osinbajo said the choice of theme “towards a girl friendly
Nigeria is an inspired one because it underscores the point that
because of the multi-faceted dimensions of the challenges that
girls face in all aspects of life.

“Over the years, the government has acknowledged that the best
interest of a child shall be of paramount consideration in all its
actions, and this was demonstrated with the enactment of the child
right act in 2003, and more recently, the violence against persons
prohibition act.

“Today, we have noticed that states of the federation have been
very slow in domesticating these laws. So at the National Economic
Council which is the monthly meeting of the governors that I have
the privilege of chairing, we have made a point of working with the
states to ensure that they adopt these Acts in their states and we
have also put in place a monitoring mechanism to push and harass
the states as much as we can to get them to adopt these
legislations.

“This led to the creation of the Human Capital Development Unit
which is a special NEC project headed by a Special Adviser to track
the implementation of relevant policies and laws and track
domestication of legislations

“We have also committed in words and deeds to education so that
we can ensure that no child is denied access to free basic
education. We believe that free and compulsory education of girls
is game changing in many respects and it has been empirically shown
to positively impact the age of marriage and even maternal and
infant mortality.

“Since 2016, the Rule of Law Advisory Team in the Presidency,
and that is located in my office, has been taking a range of steps
towards achieving a strong justice responds in supporting women and
girls, we for strategic partnership with relevant stakeholders,
local and international all of whose commitment have proven very
valuable in supporting our efforts to succeed.

He said the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns have been
empirically shown to have increased school dropout and also low
income families have increasingly experienced child marriages,
adolescent childbearing and gender based violence.

The Vice President however, said the sharp drop in income for
many families in Nigeria, in many low income countries and all over
the world have resulted in families making choices that almost
always disfavour the girl child.

“Of course female children have suffered disproportionately from
the displacement and deprivation from insurgency and conflicts in
the North East and other parts of the country”, he noted.

Professor Osibanjo revealed that to ensure effective
coordination of responses to cases of sexual and gender based
violence, the Rule of Law Team in his office supported the
establishment of sexual and gender based violence response teams
across the country.

In her opening remarks at the event, the Minister of Women
Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen, described the
dialogue as a clarion call on government as well as well-meaning
individuals to support the girl child.

She said despite the milestones already reached, the girl child
still faces a lot of challenges such as early marriage, rape and
other forms of child abuse. There is no day I do not receive such
reports not only in Abuja but also all over the country.

President, Women Arise and host of the dialogue, Dr Joe
Okei-Odumakin, in her keynote address, commended the Vice President
for his passion for the girl child.

Okei-Odumakin while recognizing the progress so far made, said
persistent challenges still faced the Nigerian girls.

“Nigeria has one of the highest child marriage prevalence rates
in Africa and our girls are also at high risk of abduction,
displacement and even death due to insecurity and conflict caused
by insurgents and armed criminals. Covid-19 pandemic had made
things worse”, she added.

She listed case after case of girl abuse that her organisation,
Women Arise, had handled all over the country “to show the
horrendous violence that the girl child suffers in Nigeria”