Persons With Disabilities Call For Protection Of Girls In Conflict Areas

Persons Living With Disabilities (PWDs) and other stakeholders have called for the protection of the rights of women, girls, and children from abduction, sexual exploitation, and abuse in conflict zones, especially in the North-East.

They made the call yesterday during the commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child, organised by Joint Forces Nigeria, a coalition of six of the world’s leading child-focused organisations, held at the University of Maiduguri.

The six organisations include ChildFund Alliance, Plan International, Save the Children International, SOS Children’s Villages International, Terre des Hommes International Federation, and World Vision International.

Ms. Islam Mohammed from Borno Special School lamented that ten years after over 260 schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok, 82 of them remain in captivity alongside hundreds of other girls and women abducted in different parts of Borno State and other areas of the North-East by Boko Haram terrorists.
She urged governments at all levels to expedite action to ensure that these girls and women in captivity are rescued, rehabilitated, and reunited with their families to end the trauma they have endured in the hands of their abductors.

She also appealed to the Borno State Government to equip special schools with learning facilities, especially braille papers, styluses, and slates, to assist visually impaired students in learning effectively.

Zara Abubakar from Alajeri community in Jere Local Government Area called on the government to provide adequate security in all schools and prioritise the education of the girl child across communities to enable this group of citizens to contribute meaningfully to the development of the state and the North-East region in general.

The National Director of SOS Children’s Villages, Eghosa Erhumwunse, who also serves as the Chairperson of Joint Forces Nigeria, in his keynote address, said the partners, ChildFund Alliance, Plan International, Save the Children International, Terre des Hommes International Federation, and World Vision International have taken a historic step forward to secure children’s rights and end violence against them.

He added that the collective vision of Joint Forces Nigeria is to ensure that children, in all their diversity, actively participate in shaping the policies, systems, and decisions that affect their lives, while nurturing families, safe communities, and accountable systems protect them from all forms of violence.