No fewer than 8,000 vulnerable children, most of them labeled as Witches and thrown out of their homes by parents and guardians, have been rehabilitated and re-united with their families.
The Child’s Rights Rehabilitation Network (CRARN), Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state disclosed over the weekend recalling that the feat was attained between 2003 and 2023.
The President/Chief Executive Officer of the Centre, Mr Sam Itauma made the disclosure while briefing journalists as part of activity to mark the 20th anniversary celebration of the Centre in Eket on Sunday.
He explained that “the Centre had rehabilitated, reconciled, re-integrated and reunited a lot of vulnerable children back to the society,” lamenting that “a situation where the vulnerable children are labeled Child Witches, and Wizards, stigmatised and evicted from homes should be condemned and such parents or guardians investigated and prosecuted.”
“Our efforts have rehabilitated and provided support for more than 8,000 vulnerable children, who have either accessed support from us or rescued by our CRARN facility,” he stressed.
According to him, about 15 vulnerable children had since graduated from tertiary institutions, including 20 from College of Education and 25 vulnerable children currently at various stages in some institutions within the state.
Itauma noted that he had been able to put six structures at the Centre including a school – CRARN Academy, and solicited for support from good spirited individuals, companies, Non governmental Organisations (NGOs) “to better the lots of the vulnerables in the society,” even as he commended the efforts of the Department of State Services (DSS), and other security agencies “for being instrumental to the protection of the vulnerable children in the state.”
Itauma, listed the challenges facing the children to include sexual abuses, torture and other forms of indignities, adding that education of the dejected young ones remains the fulcrum of his reforms programmes at the Centre, and solicited for more assistance from the civil society, organizations and governments at all levels.
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