Delta State Government ‘ll No Longer Tolerate Street Begging, Child Hawking During School Hours – Agas

The Chairman, Delta State Child’s Rights Implementation Committee and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, Mrs. Kevwe Agas has said that the State Government will no longer tolerate the indiscriminate begging of children or use of children to beg in the streets and hawking during school hours, affirming that the Committee would embark on raid and arrest in the coming year 2022.

She made this statement during a press conference by the Committee to herald its activities within the almost two years that it was inaugurated.

Agas stated that haven done all that was required to sensitize the public on what is expected of the Committee through Advocacy visits and media campaigns, it was now convinced the time has come to commence enforcement of the law.

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According to Agas, “This Press Briefing is to let the world know that the Child’s Rights Implementation Committee is in existence and committed to implementing the Child Rights Law going forward. We intend to prosecute those abusing our children and ensure that the rights of the children are enshrined and dispensed without discrimination.

“We have a challenge in carrying out our assignment and it is the challenge of children roaming the streets, especially during school hours. In our engagement, we discovered that most of these children are not from the State. The challenge is therefore how to get them back to their respective states. We also intend to cascade the activities of the Committee to the grassroots by inaugurating the Local Government Child Rights Implementation Committees.

“The Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa had said that every child must be in school and that every action relating to children must be backed by law. This Committee, empowered by law therefore, is committed to the enforcement of the law as regarding Child Protection and Child Rights in the best interest of our Delta children”, the Chairman said.

The Committee Chairman also disclosed that while the Commitee was busy formulating policies and carrying out advocacies, a number of cases of child abuse were handled, saying that in some justice was served, some settled through arbitration, and others still at various stages in court.

She said that justice was gotten when a Police officer’s wife was jailed two years, and one of the culprits in the case of the 14 year old girl who was gang raped had been caught, charged and remanded in prison.

The Chairman also stated how the Committee accommodated Miss Favour Enefiok, a victim of child trafficking who was to be engaged in child prostitution for several months during the Covid-19 lockdown, saying that she was equally engaged for skills acquisition and had since reunited with her family in Akwa-Ibom State.

Concerning the molested to death Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, Agas said the Committee had commenced processes to establish liaison with her Lagos State counterpart to ensure that justice is served.

However, in the case of another 14 year old Miss Joy Nwabueze Onua that was raped to death in Issele-Uku, she said the Committee is waiting for the Police to effect arrest to enable it commence prosecution to get justice for the deceased victim and her family.