… 2,300 Nigerian children under five die daily
As the world marks another Children’s Day, the plight of the Nigerian child, albeit the girl child has again come under scrutiny.
Earlier in the year, the Ogun State Police Command, announced that its operatives had arrested a 45-year-old man, Idowu Owolabi, for allegedly raping his 21-year-old daughter. Owolabi, who has three wives, was accused of having carnal knowledge of his daughter since last year.
Unfortunately this kind of news no longer generates shock or the type of response a reasonable man would ordinarily express under such circumstances. From tales of a father having carnal knowledge of his three daughters to men defiling months old babies, the media in the last five months, not counting the last few years have been awash with incredible tales of the travails of the Nigerian girl child.
Olawale Fapohunda, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ekiti State gave a very incisive Children’s Day message.
“Last week I led the prosecution of a man accused of child defilement. He sexually assaulted a 12-year old girl. No matter how many times one prosecutes sex offenders, nothing can possibly prepare anyone for this experience. The child was the first prosecution witness.
“How do you examine a 13-year old rape victim (she was 12 when she was raped) in a manner that complies with applicable Law and Practice? How do I ask a 13-year old if there was penetration? As if reading my mind, she described in a very matter-of-factly and with the innocence of a child, how the defendant who she frequently referred to as “Daddy” stuck his penis into her vaginal and she bled.
“I expected the usual Naija exclamation or show of emotions from court personnel. When none came, it struck me that the abnormal in our society has now become the normal. Our collective sense of revulsion has been so abused by the frequency of child defilement, that the revelation of a child that “a daddy” stuck his penis into her vaginal did not as much as get a “haaa”.
“Girl-child victims of defilement are being let down on multiple fronts in Nigeria -The Law, Family, Society and the State. In Ekiti State, the Fayemi Administration has adopted some of the most stringent punitive measures against child defilement. “Apart from the vigorous prosecution of offenders, we have made sure that convicted sex offenders do not benefit from early release or Mr. Governor’s Powers of Prerogative of Mercy. We have also opened a Register of Sex Offenders to enable us keep proper record of offenders and with a view to seeking tougher punishment for repeat offenders.
“Recently, following our findings that these measures are not as effective as we envisaged, I announced new measures including compulsory psychiatric tests of sex offenders especially where a minor is a victim, publication of names of convicted sex offenders on the website of the MOJ (Ministry of Justice) and pasting their pictures in their communities with an added advisory to their traditional rulers on their status.
“Today, I have directed the Solicitor-General to review the relevant provisions of our Criminal Code Law. In particular, we need to ensure that victims of sexual violence including minors are not subjected to re-victimisation by the provisions of our laws. Our response to child defilement cannot be limited to prosecution. We need to ensure that child victims benefit from free counselling, psychological support and medical assistance. We will continue to pursue and with added energy our plan for a One-Stop Sexual Assault Referral Center in Ekiti State.
“On this day, I assure all the Children in Ekiti State that the MOJ will continue to work for a child defilement free society.”
Ekiti has taken decisive steps. More is still required by other players in the society.
While it is commendable that the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, other First Ladies, individuals and groups on this day hosted kids to parties and fun fares, it is imperative that more focus be on the general welfare of Nigerian children.
If indeed Nigeria’s future depends on her children, that future will be grim should government fail to confront those pressing concerns affecting them.
Above all, the bothersome state of healthcare delivery at primary level is alarming. Presently, a state of public health concern has been declared on maternal, new born and child deaths as nearly 2,300 children under five die daily and about 145 women die day-to-day in Nigeria from pregnancy and childbirth related matters.
Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib at an event once announced that: “Every day in Nigeria, approximately 145 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, this is equivalent to having 1 Boeing 737-300 series airplane, fully loaded with 145 women crashing every single day in Nigeria, killing everyone on board.
“Every day in Nigeria, approximately 2,300 children under five years die mainly from preventable causes. Similarly, this is equivalent to having 15 Boeing 737-300 series airplanes fully loaded with 145 children under five years old, crashing every single day in Nigeria and killing all the children on board. One out of every eight Nigerian children dies before having a chance to celebrate his or her 5th birthday.” Certainly this calls for concern.
On November 20, 1989, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), whilst the OAU Assembly of Heads of States and Governments adopted the African Union Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (CRCW) in July 1990.Nigeria signed both International Instruments and had ratified them in 1991 and 2000 respectively. Both protocols reflect children as human beings and as subjects of their own rights. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) outlines the human rights to be respected and protected for every child under 18 years and requires that these rights be implemented.
Despite the domestication of the Child Rights Act by many states in the country, the right to health, education and LIFE in itself of Nigerian children is far from assured. More action than rhetoric is required.
Many Nigerians for instance wondered at the choice some government officials to pray for the release of Leah Sharibu and other children in captivity rather than take decisive actions. Leah’s only crime is that she dared to go to school.
As multifaceted as the problems confronting Nigerian kids are, many have overachieved; an indication that under the right setting, they can only soar. All said, the onus beyond talk is now on all concerned to make it right for the Nigerian child.