Delta State government and House of Assembly (DSHA) are set to shut down the operations of most orphanage homes in the state for operating against children’s best interest.
This may not be unconnected to the fact that orphanages keep children in their care until they grow into adulthood, which is against the law.
The presiding House Committee Chairman on Housing, Women Affairs/Girl-Child Entrepreneurship and Humanitarian Support Services, Hon. Bridget Anyafulu, exposed during the public hearing on the Delta State Child Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which was held at the Assembly on Wednesday in Asaba.
She said the Orphanage Homes, gradually becoming toxic to society, are not supposed to keep children in their care until they grow into adulthood, saying that the law provides that children should stay in the Orphanages for a maximum period of three months before being given up for adoption or reunited with their parents or relatives.
She stated categorically that the state was ready to implement the Child Rights law by following the best practices, hence the amendment of the law after 16 years of being domesticated in the state.
“However, in most cases, children grow into adulthood in the orphanages, even beyond 18 years, as a result of orchestrated shady deals by the operators of the Orphanages.
“Keeping of children in the Orphanages has a period of duration by law. We are ready to operate within that confine; we will no longer tolerate illegal operations of the Orphanages.
“The position of the law is very clear on this. The best interest of the child is of paramount concern, and it must be considered when making decisions about what happens to the child.
“Anything that constitutes evil against the child is a crime. We must ensure the protection of the child at all times, and whoever infringes on those rights is liable for punishment.
“If the orphanages cannot operate within the ambits of the law, then they just have to be shut down. Instead, we can have what is called the foster homes where children without parents or link to relations are kept and given the home environment treatment”, Anyafulu explained.
Earlier during the public hearing session, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, Mrs Oghenekevwe Agas, narrated the challenges faced in regulating the operations of the 63 registered Orphanages in Delta State, revealing that the majority of them are engaged in sharp practices for their own individual benefits.
Agas, the chairman of Delta State Child Rights Implementation Committee, said they had continued to make adoptions difficult, thereby suggesting that they would rather become Foster Homes than break the law and give the state a problem.
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