The Federal Government has engaged stakeholders to provide evidence-based support to help parents raise their children.
Speaking at a workshop organized by the Gender Adolescent School Health and Elderly Care (GASHE) division Family Health Department of the Federal Ministry of Health, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Prof Fatima Waziri-Azi, advocated for support for parents and caregivers.
She said parents need to be informed to protect their children from traffickers and violence.
The workshop was organized in collaboration with Oxford Policy Engagement Network (OPEN) and the Global Parenting Initiative at the Department of Social Policy and intervention, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
“The policy will help reduce and control cases of child abuse and cases of child trafficking “You don’t expect people to give what they don’t have, so if we have a national policy that guides parents, and give parents the resources to protect their children from nurturing their children, I think we progressively have to transfer progression from whatever,” she said.
Dr. Isang Awah, Head of Advocacy at the Global Parenting Initiative, said the workshop explores how stakeholders could work together to ensure that Nigerian parents have access to free evidence-based, playful parenting support so that they are equipped with the knowledge and tools to help their children realise their learning potential, and to prevent child sexual abuse, exploitation, and family violence.
She explained how parenting interventions work, and also shared research findings that show that parenting interventions reduce violence against children, improve the mental health of parents and children, increase adolescents’ chances of thriving in school, and reduce adolescents’ chances of using drugs and engaging in risky sexual behaviours.