The wife of Rivers governor, Eberechi Nyesom-Wike, has called on governors to adopt the Child Rights Act.
A statement by her media aide Kelvin Ebiri said Mrs Nyesom-Wike made the call on Thursday in Port Harcourt at a dinner organised for female delegates to the 61st Annual Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
The statement said Mrs Nyesom-Wike implored all the states to adopt the act because it was designed to protect children from abuses, such as defilement and exploitation. It said the governor’s wife noted that many vices that had plagued the Nigerian society were a direct result of the deliberate disregard of children’s rights.
The vices, according to her, are also a direct consequence of the disregard for the important roles women were playing in nurturing children.
“This is one law that also protects children when it comes to defilement and all kinds of sexual abuses because the criminal code, of course as we know, is very limited. This one is now expanded, especially with the violence against persons laws that are being adopted in the states,” she said.
The governor’s wife also urged Nigerians to continue encouraging and supporting women in the onerous task of parenting.
According to her, support is needed because women provide children with useful guidance and watch them grow into the age of responsibility and become accomplished.
(NAN)
