Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State, Northwest Nigeria has signed into law the State Child Welfare and Protection bill, weeks after it was passed by the legislature.
The document has already been sent to the State Ministry of Justice for gazetting.
The Federal Child Right Law (2003), domesticated in Kaduna to protect the welfare and safety of children in the state had been on ground before the assumption of office of the present Administration which acted on it by sending it to the state Assembly as one of the executive bills in 2016.
After rigorous scrutiny, criticisms and debates, the bill was eventually passed by the state Assembly on Wednesday, February 7th 2018.
Commissioner, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hafsat Mohammad Baba confirmed this development on Wednesday in a telephone interview .
She said, the Governor will be launching the law at a creche inside her ministry at a date to be announced later.
“The Governor has already signed the law. He has also instructed the Attorney General to gazette it immediately.”
Reacting, Executive Director, Aid Foundation, Immanuel Bonet appreciated both the State Assembly and the Governor for taken bold step towards the welfare and protection of children in the state.
“We are going to organize series of activities around the law because it is one thing to have it in place but another thing for people to know it and apply it in their daily living”, he added.
Also reacting, Chairperson, Federation of Women Lawyers in Kaduna , Bukola Ajao noted, that if the law has been passed and signed, there is also the need to put some structures in place to make it work.
“For example, there is a need for the establishment of family court to handle cases around the contents of the law which include raping of minor, domestic violence against children, withdrawal from school, child marriage, street hawking among others.
“This is because, the present court processes to get justice for any child whose welfare or right is violated is cumbersome as it all take place in regular courts where several other cases are being determined.
She therefore harped on the need to embark on massive awareness campaign to capture children and women who are the most vulnerable, especially those at the grassroots.
“Our girls must be taught to know when to talk no matter the threat because their abusers always threaten to kill them if they tell anybody about their nefarious act with them. A visit to the places where there are no schools, where those bad-gangs lay in wait for the girls to molest them and even rape them.
“Mothers too should be in the picture of what happens to their children especially, girls daily. We also need to address the problem of loosing homes while law enforcement agents should equally step up their game”.
Programme Manager, YouthHubAfrica Segun Medupin said, it has become necessary to draw the attention of stakeholders – the media, the civil society organisations, community based organisations, religion leaders, traditional rulers and other community prime movers to tell their people about the new law in Kaduna state .