The National Coordinator, Almajiri Child Rights Initiative, Mr Mohammed Keana, on Tuesday called on the National Assembly to urgently pass the proposed Child Destitution Commission Bill.
Keana made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja to commemorate the Universal Children’s Day .
The goal of Universal Children’s Day is to improve child welfare worldwide, promote and celebrate children’s rights and promote togetherness and awareness amongst all children.
NAN reports that the Universal Children’s Day is celebrated annually on Nov. 20.
Keana said that the bill had passed the public hearing stage.
“The Federal Government and governors in the Northern part of the country should set up a multi-stakeholder task team.
“It will come up with a unified position on how to address the social, educational, nutritional and security situation of ‘Almajiri’ children.
“The ECOWAS Commission should also work with the affected country to initiate and amend policies that will address the regional implication of ungoverned borders.
“Uncontrolled migration accounts for a large number of the street begging population in places like Borno where an estimated one million Almajiri reside,” Keana said.
He also called on UN and the international community to add their voices to the plights of the Almajiri children.
According to him, this is to addressing the rights to education, nutrition, healthcare, sanitation and decent work of the over 10 million Almajiri children is critical to achieving the SDGs in Nigeria.
Keana said the plights of millions of Almajiri children might currently be a Nigerian problem, but it had potential grave consequences for the country.
“It is time to make the commitment for children and the ‘Almajiri ‘ children has the potential to be great and should have a fighting chance in life too.
“Nothing should justify the abuse of children’s rights. It is time to guarantee the basic human rights of the children,” the national coordinator said.
Quoting UNICEF, he said there were an estimated nine to 10 million Almajiris in Northern Nigeria, saying this was because of long time abuse and the fact that they are not educationally empowered makes children prime targets for radicalisation.
Keana said addressing the Almajiri system had a fundamental role to play in resolving the insecurity crisis in Nigeria and across West Africa, adding that it was first a human rights issue affecting minors.
“The UN Convention on the rights of children and the Nigerian child rights acts provides and guarantees the rights of every child to a fair chance to start in life.
“The Rights to childhood, safety, nutrition, shelter, education and a dignified life, but children under the Almajiri scholarship migrant culture of sending children age six or below to other states and nations for Islamic studies are deprived of these fundamental children’s rights.
“They live in some of the shabbiest conditions imaginable, with many facing nutritional challenges aggravated by daily street begging, many faces exploitation and abuses including sexual abuse, many are being used for rituals purposes and are undocumented when they die,” he said.
Keana, however, called on the Federal Government to address the challenges of abandoned children by their parents, saying that they were the future of the country.