Kemi Busari
As part of the measures to end violence against children in the state, the Cross River state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare has organized a two-day multi-sector workshop in the state capital, Calabar.
The workshop was organized in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development and the United Nation’s Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
Child Protection Specialist with UNICEF, Mr Tatenda Makoni, who decried the spate of violence against children in the country, classified them into physical, sexual and emotional violence.
Makoni, while making a presentation of the findings of VAC survey in the country, said approximately six out of 10 children experience some form of violence.
According to him, one out of two children experience physical violence; one in four girls and one in ten boys experience sexual violence; while one in six girls and one in five boys experience emotional violence.
These, he said have far-reaching consequences on the children and the society at large.
Speaking on the prevalence of violence in Nigeria, Child Protection Specialist UNICEF Nigeria, Enugu Field Office, Mrs Nkiru Maduechesi, stressed the need for all stakeholders to work together to end the scourge of violence against children in the society.
Commissioner for Women Affairs in the state, Mrs Stella Odey, said the state, which already has a Child Rights Act in place, has zero tolerance to any kind of abuse against children.
According to Amnesty International, Nigeria has one of the highest rates of child violence in Africa.
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