Kwara declares war on child marriage, gender violence

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara Explain has cautioned that the assert will now no longer tolerate child marriage.

He threatened to wield corpulent enforcement of authorized guidelines holding the rights and dignity of the girl child.

Per him, the warning became a courageous stance in opposition to entrenched cultural practices threatening the neatly-being of younger girls.

Speaking at a one-day Media Hangout, Ability Training and Coverage Advocacy in Ilorin for chosen journalists, non-governmental organisations and other key stakeholders, themed “Safeguarding Our children at homes, faculties and communities to reach their corpulent doable”, organised by Chidimma and Havilah Foundation in collaboration with the Kwara Explain Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the governor warned that early marriage poses grave threat to girls’ health, future and freedom.

He disclosed that the assert has domesticated the Violence Against Folks Prohibition (VAPP) Act. “We are fully dedicated to its implementation. Early marriage is no longer most enthralling a violation of the Small one Rights Act, it is a life-threatening risk that ends in problems esteem obstetric fistula and robs younger girls of their desires,” the governor acknowledged.

Represented by the Commissioner for Social Pattern, Dr. Mariam Nnafatima-Imam, AbdulRazaq counseled the partnering NGOs, pledging his administration’s strengthen for children in the assert.

In his lecture, titled “Empowering the Next Expertise: The Media’s Feature in Nurturing High-quality Environments for Young of us”, Kwara Explain Director of the National Orientation Company (NOA), Alhaji Abdulganiyu Dare, bolstered the need for national mobilisation and grassroots advocacy to uphold the rights of every Nigerian child.

He acknowledged that media literacy, parental responsibility, and sustained authorities actions are keys to reversing the construction of violence, neglect, and abuse going via Nigerian children.

The NOA boss emphasised the fundamental role the media plays in shaping the future of children and nurturing pleasant environments for them.

Dare also outlined several methods aimed at empowering children to navigate the digital world responsibly and safely.

In his welcome address, the Chairman of the NUJ Kwara council, Malam Abdullateef Lanre Ahmed, drew consideration to the alarming upward push in expertise-driven gender-essentially essentially based violence, citing most trendy cases of formality-associated killings inspiring younger girls.

“The tragic case of Hafsoh, a pupil of Kwara Explain School of Training, is a warning sign. We have to collectively act to guard our teenagers,” he acknowledged.

He called for the holistic implementation of the VAPP Act and entreated fogeys to embody initiate conversations around intercourse education, on-line safety, and the risks of digital exposure.

In his remarks, the founding father of the Chidimma and Havilah Foundation, Mr Tope Omotosho, who spoke via Leave out Havilah Omotosho, emphasised the muse’s dedication to adolescent empowerment, particularly for susceptible girls.

“Our partnership with the NUJ is to expand advocacy and create mass awareness on easy methods to guard children, particularly the girl-child, for the duration of the family, in faculties, and the placement of business,” he acknowledged.

Omotosho lauded the unwavering strengthen of the First Lady of Kwara Explain, Professor Olufolake AbdulRazaq, describing her as “a trusty ally in the wrestle for a actual and inclusive society for younger girls.”

He pledged the muse’s persisted funding in campaigns, sensitisation programmes, and community engagements aimed at combating abuse and selling girls’ education, healthcare accumulate admission to, and personal construction.

Worn broadcaster and worn Commissioner for Sports actions in Kwara Explain, Alhaji Hameed Adio, challenged media professionals to champion cost-essentially essentially based insist and wrestle appropriate decay among teenagers.

“The media have to take a proactive role in surroundings recent narratives, showcasing excellence, discouraging noxious insist, and enticing in advocacy journalism that conjures up sure switch,” he acknowledged.

He entreated media homes to embody digital instruments and social platforms to expand their reach, counter misinformation, and promote the autobiographies and success reviews of inspirational Nigerians as a counterweight to big name custom and sensationalism.

He also identified as for communal mentorship revival, adding that customary systems of guidance and self-discipline can web to be modernised and institutionalised to guard children from abuse, dependancy, and exploitation.

The match introduced together journalists, advocates, and civil society leaders to crimson meat up the role of the media in safeguarding children from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.