The Country Director of the West Minister Foundation for Democracy (WFD), Adebowale Olorunmola, has urged residents of Ondo State to adopt the newly launched e-learning platform on child protection and safeguarding.

According to Olorunmola, the move will help safeguard the lives of children against any form of violence in the state. He made the call at the launch of the e-learning platform on child protection and safeguarding in Akure, the Ondo state capital.

Olorunmola explained that WFD has been working towards promoting inclusive citizen participation in issues that affect the lives of children and supporting the promotion of good governance.

He said: “In Ondo State, we have been working closely through the office of the first lady and other stakeholders to look into the implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law (VAPP), which was adopted in 2021.

“In the process of doing this, we have worked with ministries of justice, education, women’s affairs, and public institutions for inclusive implementation.

“Also, persons with disabilities are part of our society, and therefore, we did the printing of the VAPP law in such a way that they can have access to it in their own respective way of understanding.

“We have worked closely with the state Assembly to begin to discuss this violence against persons prohibition law in the process of implementation. We have also worked with the security agencies to achieve this. But the truth is that we cannot do this thing alone without carrying along the most vulnerable people in society, and we are talking about minors here.”

On his part, Joseph Oyadeyi, the Ondo State Chairman of the Counselors Association of Nigeria, said, “Our target is for our children and youths to leave safe. We all know that a lot of our children are facing many challenges at home, on the street, in the community, and in the schools.

“Many do not know their rights, where to go, or how to respond to many of these challenges. Many future youth leaders do not know that as a result of violence here and there, many of them have lost their future, and we are here to address it.

“We are in a digital world, and this platform will provide an opportunity for our children to be able to know more about their rights, about protecting themselves from violence, and how to seek help from the right people to fight for their course.

Temitope Daniyan, the representative of the Ondo State First Lady, who also spoke at the event, said, “WFD have been helping us to sensitize the stakeholders on the implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law in the state.

“We need to play our own part as individuals to help these children against any violence in our society.”
In his remark, the Ondo State Commissioner for Education Science and Technology, Femi Agagu, stated that “through this innovative platform, parents’, teachers, caregivers, and Professionals will have the required expertise in recognizing, preventing, and responding to child abuse and neglect. Furthermore, the e-learning platform recognizes the growing importance of digital safety in today’s interconnected world.

Agagu, who spoke through his representative, Mrs. Olufunke Ademuyiwa, however, said the launching of the e-learning platform in Ondo State was just the beginning.