The Kaduna Directorate of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) called on parents, traditional and community leaders on Saturday to ensure that children in their communities are well cared for and their rights are respected.
The call was made by Hajiya Sa’adatu Abdulrasheed, NOA Orientation and Mobilisation Officer, Kaduna South Local Government Area (LGA), during a community dialogue program aimed at informing community members about the effects of meeting corporal punishment on children.
“It is wrong for parents or caregivers to detain a child simply because he or she is perceived to be stubborn; this act against them has a negative impact on their mental and psychological health.”
“As parents, it is our responsibility to raise our children with love and care.” “Hitting a child or inflicting physical pain on the child will not mold him or her into a good child, but will instead make him or her more stubborn,” she explained.
She revealed that the agency had carried out the sensitisation programme in eight communities of Kaduna South LGA to ensure that community members bought into the concept and took ownership of the program.
Previously, Adamu Musa-Abba, a facilitator with the Kaduna State Ministry of Human Services and Social Development, stated that violence against children had led to many children breaking the law.
He explained that children could only be corrected with love and kindness, not with harshness or fear.
He urged members of the community to report any cases of violence against children to the Social Protection Welfare Officer in their local government area for rehabilitation, reintegration, and justice.
Musa-Abba urged community members not to send their wards or children who were found to be in violation of the law to unlicensed rehabilitation centers where their human rights would be violated.
Meanwhile, a participant, Mrs Zulai Muhammad, stated that she had learned the proper ways to discipline a child and that she would now put it into practice as well as educate other women on the effects of violence against children.
Another participant, Gambo Haruna, praised the NOA and its partners for the program, saying she would spread the word to those who were unable to attend.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the NOA organized the event in collaboration with the Kaduna State Ministry of Human Services and Social Development.
According to NAN, the program was a three-day event that began on December 16 and covered 18 communities in Kaduna North and Kaduna South LGAs.
The theme of the program, “Strengthening community structures to support community rehabilitation, reintegration, and justice for children,” was supported by UNICEF.
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