Systems Transformed for Empowered Action and Enabling Responses for Vulnerable Children and Families (STEER), an NGO, says lack of awareness is responsible for the delay in the domestication of the Child Rights Act in Kaduna State.

STEER’s Organisational Development Specialist Mr. Silas Ideva, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Zaria on Thursday.

He, therefore, spoke of the need for households, communities, and government at levels to acquaint themselves with the content of the Act so that it would be embraced by all concerned for eventual passage.

“The major challenge is lack of awareness; people are not informed about the content of what that law is.

“Most (household) members are not even aware of this child rights law. There are so many gaps in awareness on the need for the child rights law.

“They need to be aware that it is not a law to entrap the parents; it is rather a law that is trying to ensure children’s entitlement to welfare generally in the state, the basic needs for their survival, simple laws and simple rights, need to live a good life.

“I think majorly, if we are able to orientate ourselves very well, from the household, community, local government and state, I think we will be able to break the barrier.”

According to Ideva, proper sensitisation of the public to the prospects of the Act will go a long way in fast-tracking the domestication of the bill.

STEER is a USAID-funded initiative to improve the wellbeing of orphans and vulnerable children as well as care givers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in spite of series of advocacies since 2003 to domesticate the Child Rights Act in Kaduna State, efforts had been unsuccessful. (NAN)

•Photo shows El-Rufai

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