| credits: stmarysecumenical.blogspot.com
Nigeria’s
Children’s Parliament has vowed to boycott the May 27 Children’s Day
celebration in Nigeria if the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls were not
found before the day.
National Speaker, Children’s Parliament,
Master Idara Thompson, made the disclosure on Monday at the end of the
2014 national and state Children’s Parliament Retreat in Uyo, Akwa Ibom
State.
Thompson stated that the leaders, instead
of deploying security operatives in schools, churches, mosques, and
other public places, to protect the children, they rather deploy them in
the homes of politicians, their aides and the rich.
He said the development affected the
security of the country, which he added, made children to be more
vulnerable to child theft; sexual abuse and forced labour.
He said, “We are disappointed that in a
democratically governed country like Nigeria, children who were doing
public examinations could easily be kidnapped and turned into sex slaves
following what we have heard.
“We will not celebrate this year’s
Children’s Day if the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls are not freed. This
is the time government must rise up and tell the world that they are
capable of protecting children.”
Deputy Director, Child Development,
Ministry of Women Affairs, Akwa Ibom State, Mrs. Veronica Okon, had
earlier cautioned the children against keeping quiet over sexual abuse.
Commissioner, Ministry of Women Affairs
and Social Welfare, Dr. Glory Edet, also advised parents, guardians to
work towards ensuring that necessary measures were put in place to
outlaw practices that were at variance with basic child rights
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