Child Help In Legal Defence of Rights to Education in Nigeria (C.H.I.L.D.R.E.N.) Proje

PROPOSAL FOR A PARENTS FORUM ON CHILD PROTECTION AGAINST KIDNAPPERS AND OTHER STREET VIOLENCE IN LAGOS STATE

The Organisation: CHILDREN

The Child Help In Legal Defence of Rights to Education in Nigeria (CHILDREN) otherwise known as "CHILDREN Project" is a developmental non-profit, non-governmental organisation in Nigeria. CHILDREN Project is committed to addressing issues germane to the basic welfare of the child, his education, parental control and upbringing access to basic biological and emotional needs such as good nutrition, portable water, good home environment, sound education, health facilities and confidence in the future. CHILDREN is convinced that a good democratic environment which allows for the fullest expression of basic democratic right of all including adults especially young adults (older children) who are currently faced with the grim reality of joblessness, frustrated aspiration, collapsed physical social infrastructure is a sine-qua-non for the well-being of the younger children and indeed generation yet unborn.

The organisation is managed by a nine-member Founders' Council led by the undersigned, a former student activist, founding Secretary-General of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR and currently a consultant educationist and child-right advocate. The Organisation is made up of six directorates that constitute its National Secretariat in Lagos, six zonal offices in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria and a Central Regional Office in Ilorin.

It also has a seven-member National Advisory Committee (NAC) made up of Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Dr Fredrick Fasehun, Barr. Femi Falana, Comrade Baba Omojola, Dr Victoria Mojekwu, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) and Chief (Mrs.) Rita-Lori Ogbebor.

The organisation uses various methods and strategies including mass media to advocate for and protect the right of child generally and his right to education in particular. This is based on the belief that every violation of a child's right has a negative implication on the child's educational pursuit. It therefore entertains, informs, teaches and pressures the society to accord the right of place to children and young persons in the scheme of things.

Some of the programmes currently being executed by CHILDREN include: Grassroots Enlightenment Programme (GEP) Rallies, Parents Enlightenment Programme (PEP) Talks; Publication of Monthly Digest (EDUWATCH), Quarterly Newsletter (OUR CHILD) and other publications. It is presently rehabilitating some public schools under its Save Child Education Fund (SACHEF). SACHEF has received generous grants from the United State and Japanese embassies in Nigeria. We are currently producing Future Focus, a television programme on child-related issues, which is being funded by the Commonwealth Education Fund (CEF).

PROJECT RATIONALE

Recently cases of kidnapping, abduction, disappearances and missing persons, especially children have lately become rampant in many parts of Nigeria, especially in the Niger Delta region. This has happened in recent past and currently inching its way back to Lagos State. A few, although not yet officially confirmed that some of the missing children are turned to other animals like yams, goats, dogs, hens, etc. by their assailants to help ease their escape with the victim. Some are suspected to have been killed and dumped in well. Some have been found to have been killed for ritual purposes while their remains were dumped in the bush, yet some have been diabolically charmed that they could no longer be their old well, sound, hale and hearty selves again. Only few cases of missing children are redeemed in the normal form.

Kidnappers use several tricks including connivance with their parents, siblings and relations to lure their victims into capacity. This range from promise of month-watering job offers to irresistible gifts. No thanks to widespread poverty in town. Those who hypnotize their victims or transform them also play various mischievous games cashing in on people's unbearable poverty. They offer their victims charmed or drugged pastries, confectioneries, drinks or fruits. Other drop charmed banknotes or other tempting valuable items that could easily attract their victims. Whoever picked such items transformed into animals or become 'robots', responding only to the commands of their assailants. Yet, others physically and violently attack their victims, beat them to pulp if they try to defend themselves and take them away under the cover of arms, corrosive chemicals or their scary weapons. The recent cases of kidnaps are done mainly to extort their victims' relatives as they often ask for huge ransoms in exchange for their loved ones.

Oftentimes, school children are prime target of these contemporary underworld men and women. Even when they rarely inflict physical injuries on their victims, the psychological traumas they subject them to are often not totally reversible. Kidnappers attack on street children and other less protected children have been ironically minimal. Although this might not be due to little or no report about them since their parents may not look for them or report their missing to the police. However school children that are left on their own to and from school are the most vulnerable group. Their assailants would have trailed them midway between their school and homes before they strike. This is the case with the three school children that were reportedly transformed into dogs at Ogba, Ikeja Local Government Area sometimes ago.

According to the Preamble, UN Res. 1386 (XIV) Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 20 November, 1959

"the child, by reason of his physical and metal immaturity, need special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth".

The protection of the child is first and foremost a function of his immediate family. Then the government through appropriate polices and legislation as well as society by developing an appropriate child-rearing culture. This culture will ensure apart from protection their survival, development as well as participation in their own affairs.

Very many international conventions have tried to tackle these problems by providing legal instruments for the protection of children. The most significant of these being the United Nation Convention on the Right of the Child. This convention impresses it on signatory countries that every child is entitled to protection from any act that interferes with his or her privacy, honour and reputation. Also, that they are entitled to protection from indecent and inhuman treatment through sexual exploitation, drug abuse, child labour, torture, maltreatment and neglect.

By these provisions it is clear that children are meant to be under perpetual protection of adults at all times until they become independent at adulthood. And adulthood, they only reach at age 18 or after their academic or vocational career whichever comes late. Unfortunately, there are some cultural attitudes, values and principles of our people that tend to encourage Child Abuse and Neglect. These mores makes them vulnerable to attacks by kidnappers, expose them to street violence and influences such as drug addiction, rape, prostitution etc.

According to Eya (1990) some of these mores include amongst others, the notice that

i. The child is the property of his parents, who use the child as they please what they do with them is nobody's business.

ii. A child who is made to suffer grows in wisdom.

iii. If a child does not feel he is abused or neglected, then there is no problem. What you do not know does not hurt.

Interestingly at all levels, governments do not see anything wrong with such cultural mores. They oftentimes encourage them by various governmental policies, actions or inaction. One of such inaction is lack of laws domesticating the Child Rights Act in Many states several months after the National Assembly reluctantly passed it. This thus makes the application of convention on the rights of the child applicable in various courts of law in Nigeria

Cosmopolitan Lagos represents a state in Nigeria where human, mostly child welfare is taken for granted. When evil deeds are being perpetrated on others, including children, except in mob actions or when the victim is one's relation, nobody takes interest. If any notice of such is taken, it is usually at the level of taking to one's heels. Law enforcement agencies, especially the police do not help matters. They often release suspected ritual killers and kidnappers without proper investigation or trial. Most of times such suspected criminals return to their nefarious activities with more daring effontry. Police sometimes let out identities of their informants on which the criminals take retaliatory vengeance.

The only relief from this irony is the recent intervention, as usual of the militant Yoruba socio-cultural and ethnic nationalist group, Oodua People's Congress (OPC). They have provided a preferred alternative to the police. They thus keep the police on their toes. Despite this however, it is not advisable that emergencies should be allowed to happen before they are prevented. Moreso when most cases of attack are irreversible. Only very few of the children victims of kidnappers are recovered in their normal self. If nothing else, their ego, and psychology would have been badly brutalized.

It is for this reason that CHILDREN Project as a child concern non-governmental organisation feels that it is germane to convene a forum of parents, teachers, government officials and other stakeholders on child related matters for the purpose of educating them on how best to keep their children and wards protected from unfortunate incidences of kidnap, ritual killing and other street violence and influences.

OBJECTIVES OF THE FORUM

The forum is being organised to achieve the following immediate and long-term objective i.e. to:

i. General awareness on the strategies and tactics of those involved in these criminal activities with a view to discouraging them from continuing.

ii. Provide unwary parents information on how best to train their children with a view to discouraging their involvement with strangers.

iii. Provide opportunity for parents to share experiences with one another on tactics and strategies of protective parenting.

iv. Identify socio-cultural problems and practices that encourage the commission of the crimes and proffer workable solutions and alternative means of eliminating them.

v. Examine the activities and or complicity of law-enforcement agencies in perpetuating the commission of the crimes with a view to providing all levels of government an agenda for tackling them

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

1. Kidnapping and other street crimes: Prevalence and Effects in Urban Areas in Nigeria.

2. Strategies and tactics employed by Kidnappers and Child-Prone Criminals in urban areas Lagos State as a case study

3. Eliminating the socio-cultural and traditional practices that accommodate for child-prone crimes in Nigeria.

4. Making school attendance save for the child: What roles for the School, teachers and parents?

5. Modern parenting and child rearing culture as panacea to child-prone crimes in Nigeria.

6. The primordial causes and relationship between introduction of new bank note to child stealing in Nigeria.

7. The imperatives of promulgating child protective legislations in Nigerian States.

DESIGN OF THE FORUM

The one-day public forum will be mainly two brainstorming discussion sessions. The opening session will witness a keynote address by a highly experienced educationist parent.

There will be three other discussion sessions by equally qualified personalities. Each of the papers will be discussed by four leading discussants with contributions from participants. Resolutions/Communiqués will issued at the end of the day for onward circulation for various levels of government and press houses for implementation and wide publicity.

Date of Forum: Monday, December 10, 2008

Time: 10:00am - 5:00pm

Cost: Eight hundred and ninety-seven thousand (N897,000:00) only

Project Director:

Mr. Debo Adeniran

National Coordinator

Child Help In Legal Defence of Rights to

Education in Nigeria (CHILDREN)

COST ESTIMATE

Venue : N30,000:00

Publicity

(i) Newspaper advert @ N75,000 per page x 2 N150,000:00

(ii) Radio jingles @ N3000 x 20 slots N60,000:00

(iii) Banners @ N3000 x 20 pieces N 60,000:00

(iv) Posters @ N10 x 5000 Nos. N50,000:00

(v) Leaflets @ N2.5 x 20,000 Nos. 50,000:00

(vi) Distribution of Resolution/Communiqué@ N200 x 100 20,000:00

Invitation

(i) Letter to five Resource Persons and one Rappauteur @ N200 x 5 N1,000:00

(ii) Letter to State Officers, Local Government

Chairman, other dignitaries @ N100 x 100 N1,000:00

(iii) Press Invitation @ N100 x 50 Nos. N5,000:00

(iv) Invitation cards to Stakeholders in Child Rearing NGOs and

General Participants @ N30 x 500 Nos. N15,000:00

Honoraria

(i) Five Resource Persons @ N20,000 N100,000:00

(ii) Discussants @ N5000 x 12 N60,000:00

(iii) Helpers (Ushers, Secretaries etc.)@ N2000 x 10 N20,000:00

(iv) Health officers @ N3000 x 4 N12,000:00

Entertainment

(i) Food @ N300 x 500 Nos. N150,000:00

(ii) Minerals @ N25 x 500 Nos. N12,500:00

Logistics

(i) Transport for Resource Persons and Discussants @ N2500 x 17 Nos. N42,500:00

(ii) Transport for other Forum Personnels @ N500 x 24 N12,000:00

(iii) Pressmen @ N200 x 50 N10,000:00

(iv) General Movement of OrganisersSecretariat Service N20,000:00

(i) Production of Resource Papers @ N1000 x 4 N4,000:00

(ii) Resolution/Communiqués @ N200 x 100 N2,000:00

Total N897,000:00

Debo Adeniran, Esq.

National Coordinator/

Project Director 27th August, 2008