Launches action plan on violence against children

President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, launched the national action plan on ending violence against children in Nigeria, with a call for stiff enforcement of the Rights Act and other child protection laws that guarantee the safety and dignity of Nigerian children.

He outlined practical steps by his administration to achieve this, including the establishment of a dedicated Child Protection and Development Agency, launch of the Universal Child Grant to reduce household poverty and children’s vulnerability; creation of a National Child Protection Database and a Child Well-being Index to track the government’s progress and uphold accountability. 
  
The President spoke during the first regional meeting of the Africa Pathfinder Countries of the Global Alliance on ending violence against children at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Tinubu declared his administration’s commitment to “establishing a dedicated Child Protection and Development Agency to ensure coherent coordination of all issues relating to the Nigerian child.”
  
The president noted that while each day comes with a reminder of the dreams of Nigerian children, the conditions into which they are born, and whether these conditions protect or betray them, are also critical issues to ponder.

“Our legal frameworks reflect our conviction. From the Child Rights Act to the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, Nigeria has laid down the statutory foundation for the protection of children. But legislation alone does not shield the vulnerable—it is the will behind those laws, and the systems that enforce them, that make the difference.

The President assured that relevant government institutions, including the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, are armed with the required training and resources to spearhead the protection of the Nigerian child across all levels of government, even as he maintained that it is a crusade for which sincerity and honesty are required.