The Enugu State Government has pledged to compulsorily move all school-aged children off the streets and back to schools soon.
The state’s Commissioner for Gender Affairs, Princess Peace Nnaji, made this pledge while addressing members of Gender Equality Movement (GEM) on Thursday in Enugu.
The members of GEM had embarked on a rally advocating that under-aged children should be kept off the streets and roads within Enugu metropolis.
The placards in the rally reads: “Keep Children off the Street, They Need Education; People Should Stop Using Children for Begging; Education Gives Children a Brighter Future and Please, Government Do All You Can to Rescue these Children.’’
Nnaji, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Sunny Okafor, said that the ministry was coming up with a modality to get children off the streets while following due diligence and human rights.
“The ministry is seriously concerned and as fathers and mothers, we see these children roaming the streets while others are used for alms begging.
“However, we are working out a modality with our partners and security agencies to ensure we evolve the best way to civilly remove these children from the streets and fix them in schools where they should be.
“We also needed the collaboration of GEM to ensure that you carry this advocacy to your individual homes, neighbourhood, streets and council areas in order to enlighten our people to ensure their wards are enrolled in school,’’ she said.
Nnaji noted that Gov. Ifeanyi Uguwanyi personally sponsored the Child Right Act bill in the state and ensured it was passed as well as signed into law.
“Our governor had remained a child-friendly governor that promoting the rights of children as well as their health through free healthcare for children, especially those under the age of five,’’ he said.
Earlier, the Leader of GEM, Mrs Ijeoma Uzoma, said that the advocacy was meant to draw the attention of the people of the state to the growing menace of under-aged and school-age children roaming the streets.
Uzoma noted that GEM felt concerned that the future of such children might be bleak if no concerted effort was done by the society including the government, organisations and groups to get them back to school.
“We have watched with dismal the overwhelming number of these children growing in the state, especially within Enugu, Nsukka and other metropolis in the state.
“GEM believe that it is high time this issue is tackled to give hope and sense of belonging to these children to guaranty them a brighter future,’’ she said.
A total of 100 volunteers carried placards across Enugu metropolis; the areas covered included: Ogui Road; Asata Road and Roundabout and Presidential Road before terminating at the ministry
. (NAN)