The Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour, NACTAL, has called on government to create enabling environment for proper nurturing and upbringing of Nigeria children.
This call was made by the group’s National President, Abdulganiyu Abubakar on this year’s children’s day.
To mark this year’s event themed:“State of the Nigeria Children Today: Proper Parenting for value re-orientation and national consciousness”, NACTAL says the theme by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs no doubt underscore the significant role of parents, caregivers, guardians and children minders who are involved in the life of children in nurturing a total child devoid of negative behaviour which could lead to indulging in anti social behaviours with grave consequences for children and the society.
According to Abdulganiyu, there are causes for concern. He said, “The increasing anti social behaviour such as truancy, drug addiction, stealing and other criminal activities among many children in Nigeria calls for concern and a response national action to prevent more and more children from going into crime as this constitute a serious threat to the future of these children and to the peace and development of Nigeria.”
He urged that it is important that as a country, we reflect on what our national values are and how we have been able to build strategic policies, programmes and interventions that will assist families and other caregivers to provide proper or positive parenting for children both in formal and informal institutional care to grow and develop into responsible citizens. Children behaviours and attitude are largely a reflection of what goes in their environment.
“A parenting that would engender value reorientation and national consciousness in the Nigerian Child must be properly placed within the four pillars of child rights which emphasis the Survival Rights of Children, the right for development, the right for protection and the right for participation as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, 1989) and the Child Rights Act, Nigeria (2003).
“A value re-eorientation and national consciousness can not be achieved in a vacuum, it must be based on the ideal of justice, equity, inclusiveness and non-discrimination of the Nigerian Child in the National Agenda.
“In view of this, and in the light of the children’s day celebration, NACTAL Nigeria is calling on the Nigerian Government to set in motion a responsive national mechanism that promote, respect, protect and guarantee the realisation of the rights of the Nigerian Child irrespective of tribe, ethnicity and social status.
The group asked of parents and caregivers to also support the efforts of the government to imbibe in their children a culture of mutual respect, tolerance and positive affection towards fellow Nigerian Children.
NACTAL wants the children in the country to shun antisocial behaviour capable of disrupting their future and the peace of the society at large, even as it wishes the Nigerian Children a fabulous Children’s Day Celebration.
