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Tag: child

  • Experts push for maternal, child deaths reduction

    Experts push for maternal, child deaths reduction

    All hands should be on deck to ensure that Nigeria reverses its data on perinatal deaths  experts in feto-maternal medicine and other allied stakeholders have said.

    According to the Association of Fetomaternal Medicine Specialists of Nigeria (AFEMSON) President, Prof Olufemi Kuti, Nigeria is one of the 26 countries yet to record reduction in maternal mortality, as stated by the Millennium Developmental Goals (MDGs).

    He spoke at the maiden edition of the association and its General Meeting and Scientific Conference.

    The event, with the theme  ‘Reducing maternal and peri-natal mortality’ held at the  Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.

    Kuti said: “There was a 44 percent global reduction of maternal mortality, from 588, 000 in 1990 to 303,000 in 2015. It is however sad that Nigeria was one of the 26 countries that made no progress.’’

    He said the reason his association is canvassing for everybody to be involved is because with a total of 58, 000 maternal deaths in 2015, Nigeria is currently the leading contributor of maternal deaths in the world, being responsible for 19 percent of the global maternal mortality burden.

    “In figurative terms, this is like two planes crashes per week with 500 people on board each plane. For every maternal death, there are at least 14 perinatal deaths. The  situation warrants the declaration of a state of emergency to address such colossal loss of young Nigerian women and babies. The most unfortunate part of this disaster is that more than 90 percent of these deaths are avoidable, given the right attitude and commitment of all stakeholders.

    ‘’AFEMSON believes that the cooperation of women organisations, religious bodies, and national and international aids agencies and most importantly the political will are vital in reducing this carnage.

    “The sub-themes are chosen to help in improving the quality of care and identifying avoidable factors in maternal and peri-natal deaths. Fetal monitoring is to provide a good opportunity to update specialists on the 21st century methods of peri-natal care to help reduce the current high stillbirth rate in Nigeria,” said Prof Kuti.

    Former  Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko, who was the special guest of honour, said from experience and the success of ‘Abiye’, political will and public financing were vital to the attainment of Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria and the developed world, being that maternal and perinatal care are part of.

    Dr. Mimiko, who was given a commendation award at the event, said political leadership should muster and develop the needed political will and deplore public fund towards Universal Health Coverage.

    Drawing copious references from data and reports of global and national agencies on the Gains and Challenges of Universal Health Coverage, Mimiko said players and policy makers have all agreed that, “Universal Health Coverage delivers substantial health, economic and political benefits across populations,” which means that “public finance must be deplored to the pursuit of coverage” in other to reap associated health, economic and political benefits.”

    He added: “Universal Health Coverage, as has been said earlier, is a goal.

    “Movement towards it must be incremental in coverage and in benefit package. Since matching resources with health needs will always be a continuous exercise, setting priority becomes unavoidable. Every nation moving towards Universal Health Coverage will require an irreducible minimum health benefit package. Most will start from the most cost effective interventions like immunisation and the need of vulnerable groups like maternal and child health. Maternal health is doubtlessly a cost-effective intervention.

    “Beyond the economic dictates of investment in it, maternal health is a moral imperative. Giving birth, is a process of perpetuating the human race. It is a divine instruction. Genesis 1:28 states: ‘’… be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth…”

    Mimiko, who referred to various  interventions of his administration, said women, children and adolescents must be given priority in universal health coverage as they are the most vulnerable of the population.

    He added that the attainment of the health target of the SDGs, “is inextricably tied to universal health coverage”.

    Mimiko, who traced his achievements in the health sector to his conviction that maternal and perinatal deaths could be prevented, if the society paid attention to delivering affordable health care, said: “Working with other stakeholders, I put in place processes that have to a large extent proved that even in resources challenged settings like ours we can post reasonable outcomes in maternal and perinatal death reduction.”

    Mimiko added: “As posited in Centre for Strategic and International Studies’ (CSIS), report on the first year of his government’s Abiye’s safe motherhood initiative, progress in universal care is possible with right leadership. I root out traditional birth attendants. I empowered them with new source of livelihood and income.

    “We put together the Agbebiye (Safe Birth Attendant) programme, which is essentially to incentivise through cash, training (in alternative vocation) and start-up microfinance, referral of pregnant women to designated public facilities and ensure delivery at such facilities. They are, therefore, given dignified exit out of the trade of maternity services. The programme started in February 2014 and as at December 2015, there has been 14,802 referrals of pregnant women by Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and Mission Home Built Attendants (MHBA) to Public Health facilities. Of these, there were 29 sets of twins, 13 sets of triplets and one set of quadruplets.’’

    He continued: “This brings me to the issue of health financing. Public versus social health insurance financing for universal health coverage (UHC) is an issue. But, it is well established that there is no single path towards Universal Health Coverage. Variants occur due to many factors of history, social cohesion, prevalent socio-political preferences etc. One must however emphasise the need for increasing public expenditure in health care.”

    Mimiko said like Prof David Heyman, Head of Global Health Security, Chatham House, puts it, “by its very nature, (Universal Health Coverage) creates a larger role for the state in ensuring a free health financing system that market alone cannot provide. Market cannot be effective driver of heath care.

    “This is what United States is learning the hard way by the controversies surrounding its healthcare system. This is perhaps why it is the one and only high income country of eight countries in which maternal mortality rate has been on the rise. It is reported to have recorded an increase in maternal mortality rate of approximately 26.6 percent from 2000 to 2014. Could this dismal picture be the consequence of promotion of market dictates over public funding of health care? Time will tell. An improved maternal health outcome also implies some reduction in peri-natal mortality.”

  • ‘Increased funding for child, family health’

    THE Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN) Oyo State chapter has appealed to the state government to increase its budgetary provision for child and family health.

    FOMWAN President and the team leader for the Partnership for Advocacy for Child and Family Health (PACFaH), Alhaja Simiat Ogundiran, made the appeal during an advocacy visit to the Commissioner for Finance and Budget, Mr Abimbola Adekanmbi.

    Alhaja Ogundiran noted that increased government intervention was needed in the areas of routine immunisation, nutrition, child killer diseases, especially pneumonia and diarrhoea, as well as child spacing.

    She urged the government to release the necessary funds in time for appropriate use.

    Director of Administration and Supply, Mr Richard Akintola, who represented the commissioner, gave the assurance of the government’s support for PACFaH’s project.

  • Mother, child exhibition to hold July 8

    The fourth edition of Mother and Child Exhibition will hold on July 8 and 9 at Havilah Event Centre at Oniru on Victoria Island in Lagos.

    In a statement, the organiser, Mr Segun Opebi, noted that the exhibition will showcase products and services for children between one year and 12 years.

    Opebi said the exhibition would ensure that expectant mothers, nursing mothers and children get quality products and training on how to live a healthy life.

    He said: “We want to ensure that participants get quality products and acquire the knowledge of best practices in the health sector. There will be medical experts on the ground to disseminate information through seminars, discussions and other interactive forums.

    “There will be several enlightening and fascinating activities, including health seminars, demonstrations, panel discussions, competitions, celebrity appearances, children’s play facilities and prizes for participants.”

  • Foundation tackles child exploitation

    Child sexual exploitation is not alien to Nigeria; it is rooted in culture, tradition and, in some cases, fetish and ungodly religious beliefs with children and vulnerable women as victims. WALE AJETUNMOBI writes that Jose Foundation and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development have joined forces to curb the phenomenon. 

    September, 2015 findings from the Nigeria Violence against Children Survey carried out by the National Population Commission (NPC), with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, discovered high prevalence of violence against children in Nigeria.

    The population-based study revealed that approximately six out of every 10 Nigerian children under the age of 18 years, experience some form of physical, emotional and sexual violence before the age of 18 years.

    One out of two children experience physical violence, one in four girls and one in 10 boys experience sexual violence, and one in six girls and one in five boys experience emotional violence.

    The majority of children never tell anyone about their experience and less than 5 per cent of children who experience violence ever receive the support they need to recover.

    The survey found out that childhood violence has a long-term impact that lasts well into adulthood, including poorer mental and physical health outcomes. Individuals who experienced physical and sexual violence in childhood were also significantly more likely to perpetrate intimate partner violence.

    The shocking rape of a six-month-old baby in Kano of late that left the nation in shock further reinforced the call by experts to tighten security around minors to avoid child sexual exploitation against them.

    The defilement of the baby, no doubt, touched the heart of Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari and the Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II both of whom visited the victim in hospital and expressed shock at the incident.

    Recall that Jose Foundation, last year, wrote a letter to the wife of the President, the Inspector- General of Police and wife of the Senate President, informing them of the growing trend of abuse of minors and women in the country.

    In the letter it called for a pragmatic action from highly placed individuals in authority to step up action against violence on children and vulnerable women in IDP camps and other parts of Nigeria.

    Although, child sexual exploitation (CSE) may not actually be a ‘Nigerian phenomenon’ the prevalence of abuse of minors in the country has become ‘alarming’.

    Unfortunately, several reported cases of child sexual exploitation have close family members as the ‘usual culprits’ pushing experts to redraw plans on how to deal with the monster that has continued to gain ground in the country of recent.

    Not even the Child Rights Act (2003) has been able to deter the evil doers from crying out heinous crimes against innocent minors, worse is that some states are finding hard to domesticate the Act due to factors centred around religion, culture and lack of political will.

    The situation has not only affected many psychologically, but has also threatened the future of millions of children.

    An international non-governmental organisation, Jose Foundation, since 2003, has continued to champion the fight against child sexual exploitation in Nigeria.

    To address the issue, Jose Foundation has been carrying out series of public awareness on how parents can protect their children from falling into the hands of sexual exploiters.

    This includes advocacy, creating awareness, trainings and international diplomacy to draw attention of leaders worldwide to the plights of the vulnerable in the society.

    The promotion of CSE campaigns necessitated the need to organise a workshop for all stakeholders in the protection of minors in Nigeria.

    The foundation, through the Nigerian mission in the United Kingdom, submitted a training proposal to several ministries in Nigeria; including the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social development.

    Reports have it that the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development responded to the foundation’s request by asking for the details of the proposed programme.

    Details of the proposed workshop which has been delivered to the Nigerian High Commission in London to be transmitted to Abuja, it was learnt, will bring the crème de la crème in the Nigerian society under one roof to discuss child sexual exploitation, it’s implications to Nigeria and how it can be tackled.

    Between August 15 and 21, this year, some members of the Federal Executive Council, lawmakers, the military and the internally displaced persons (IDPs), parents, care givers, family members and community leaders will have to listen to a group of experts from the United Kingdom fighting CSE on how to curb the menace in Nigeria.

    Others to attend the workshop are: religious leaders; development workers; heads of schools; and other officers including law enforcement agents and social care educators.

    Speaking on the planned workshop, President, Jose Foundation, Prince Martins Abhulimhen told journalists that the time has come for Nigeria to join other nations who are showing commitment to the protection of minors and women from sexual abuse.

    “We have taken responsibility to work with the Nigerian government to tackle CSE and that is why we chose to submit our programme details for government scrutiny and full participation”, he said.

    He noted that the foundation planned to launch a book on child sexual exploitation written in three of Nigeria’s major languages and the setting up of a Jose Foundation Therapy Centre in Nigeria to be managed by UK experts to train Nigerians on how to handle victims.

    The book is to act as a day-to-day guideline that children must read to checkmate any kind of abuse from perpetrators.

    He said the seven-member team of experts from the UK on CSE will be led by Jayne Senior, a Councillor in Rotherham. She was credited for revealing a pattern of exploitation in the town that saw large numbers of children and young people groomed, gang-raped and tortured by groups of men.

    At least 1,400 children were subjected to appalling sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

    Children as young as 11 were raped by multiple perpetrators, abducted, trafficked to other cities in England, beaten and intimidated.

    Consequently, to further fight the scourge in the United Kingdom, the government is spending about 40 million pounds this year alone. Amount considered too low by some critics while Nigeria, with a rising cases of CSE, is lagging behind.

    Meanwhile, lawmakers and ministers will be the first to be briefed on the topic. Personal experiences and skills around tackling CSE will share and why CSE is a global issue and the short-term and long-term effects of CSE on victims and families.

    The military and officials of IDP camps will learn different types of exploitation. This will include the impact of victims both short-term and long-term and moral and legal issues.

    Religious leaders will be thought on how to spot the signs of CSE, their role in protecting children from harm, while law enforcement agents and social care educators are to learn issue of awareness within local economy, indicators of a child at risk, long and short-term impact of abuse on children, and reporting and referring concerns to relevant agencies.

    Meanwhile, working with families and communities in this regard has been identified as a measure to fencing the child against people with the intention to sexually-exploit minors.

    Monitoring and engaging children is said to make minors and their parents have a sense of what constitutes child abuse and what it is not.

     

     

     

  • Nigerian child, endangered specie

    SIR: This year’s Children Day may have come and gone and for the umpteenth time we have celebrated with no real value added to the life of the Nigeria child.  My mind is preoccupied with the morbid thought that what the adults and elites gather to celebrate is actually the death of the Nigerian child. The hypocritical activities planned annually for the day is actually meant to drive the death knell in. The Nigerian government can be likened to an undertaker, supervising the death and burial of our children with relish. Nigeria pretends to belong to the civilized world by being signatory to international conventions and treaties on the rights of the child, particularly, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the child. But in reality, through actions of omission and commission supports the exploitation, dehumanization and decimination of the Nigerian child.

    The Nigerian child in this context refers to the millions of children residing in such slums as Ajegunle, Makoko, Somolu, Mushin etc. and these settlements are not only limited to Lagos alone. They practically litter our entire landscape. Included in this category are the children in the Internally Displaced Persons Camps (IDPS) who to no fault of theirs are refugees in their own country.

    Truth is the Nigerian child lives a life that is futile and hollow. Children are a very significant and vulnerable group in society which accounts for why in sane climes conscious efforts is put in place to protect and nurture them to full potentials. This accounts for why John F Kennedy, former US president referred to children “as the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future”.  Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, on the other hand said “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children”.

    The high incidence of infant mortality deaths is a clear demonstration of our soullessness. This is because in this age of artificial intelligence, robotics and other advancement in all spheres of life, especially in medicine, we are losing our children to such preventable deaths such as polio, measles, cholera, malaria etc. Children are subjected to all forms of degrading and dehumanizing treatments. From hawking on the streets, to being used as domestic helps, to being married off as children all in the name of religion, to child rape, to being objects of domestic violence. The list is hopelessly endless. The case is made worse and hopeless in our clime because those saddled with the responsibility of promulgating laws that will guarantee the good life for them are too preoccupied with matters of greed and looting. They have also in our recent history have openly endorsed pedophilia.

    It is such a sad commentary that from Lagos to Sokoto; from Port Harcourt to Zungeru – in fact, across the six geopolitical zones, the population of out of school children is alarming. Children who are pickpockets and robbers, to children who are abusing substances, to children recruits as political thugs. The sum total is that we are a nation at the precipice. Bequeathing our future to malformed children. The conspiracy by all and sundry in not providing the right environment for the Nigerian child is one that will haunt us sooner than later.

    All is stacked against the Nigerian child. He struggles against all odds to come into this world, albeit unwillingly to parents who can barely take care of him while in the womb. While here, if he able to survive his early years it will be due largely to factors of providence and miracle. School is a struggle, feeding a problem, healthcare simply nonexistent. The elites run the risk of feeling insulated. These unattended to children will grow to unleash unimaginable terror on society.

     

    • Michael Ose,

    Lagos.

  • Child security tops Lagos agenda

    The Lagos State government has promised to bring back the four abducted pupils and two teachers of Igbonla Model College in Epe. They were abducted by gunmen on the school’s assembly ground on Thursday, last week.

    The four students: Isaac Adebisi, Okonkwo Emmanuel, Abu, and Jeremiah, were abducted alongside, their Vice Principal, A.O Oyesola, and English/Civic Education teacher, Lukman Oyerinde.

    Although the abductors have since called some of the parents to demand undisclosed ransom, government said it would not negotiate, adding that both the military and police as well as local vigilance groups are on the trail of the abductors,

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who addressed Lagosians during the 2017 Children’s Day celebration at the Agege Stadium, last week, assured that no amount of threat and intimidation would distract the state from attaining the best of physical and mental development of the children.

    “The abductors are disgruntled elements bent on distracting this government. These children  would be rescued and brought back in no distant time. The military and police forces are working round the clock to ensure that they are rescued hale and hearty,” Ambode was quoted in a speech delivered by his deputy, Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule

    According to Ambode, the need to ensure adequate security for school children informed the government’s issuance of an executive order to all Lagos schools, both private and public, child centred institutions and orphanages.

    “Our administration’s belief in the protection of those who will protect our tomorrow informed our implementation of the Executive Order of December 16, 2016 which established the Lagos State Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy,” Ambode added.

    According to him, the theme of this year’s International Children’s Day: ‘Children of today, our keepers tomorrow’, was apt and in tandem with the policy thrust of the state on education.

    He urged the children to be good ambassadors and agents of change, warning them to steer clear of unwholesome attitudes

    Earlier in her address, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr Adesina Odeyemi, who delivered Adebule’s address, noted that the education sector has undergone tremendous transformation since the creation of the state. she recalled that from 55 secondary schools comprising 19, 538 pupils in 1968, the number of public secondary schools have surged to 679 spreading across 316, 419 for junior secondary school and 248, 339 for senior secondary schools respectively. While primary schools, which also stood at 402 with 207, 126 children in 1969, now boasts of 1010 schools and with about 497, 318 pupils.

    The state, according to her, also has 18 public and private Tertiary Institutions, 5 Technical Colleges and least 18,000 private nursery/primary and secondary schools, which render educational services in the state today.

    Adebule noted that it was not an accident that the state’s budgetary allocations for 2016 and 2017   amounted to over N205.8 billion; rather it was because of the need assessment and the commitment of the government to education growth.

     

  • Farmer’s child needs N2m for bladder surgery

    Farmer’s child needs N2m for bladder surgery

    A peasant farmer in Enugu State Joseph Chijoke Emmanuel is desperately seeking over N2 million from individuals, government and corporate organisations for three surgeries to correct his son’s defective bladder.

    Emmanuel’s three-year-old son, Chizuroke, was born with a hole in his bladder, making it impossible for him to urinate with his manhood. As a result he wears diapers to avoid messing himself up with urine.

    For three years, Joseph and his wife Grace have been going through harrowing times seeking for financial help after exhausting the funds at their disposal.

    Their efforts to raise funds paid off as they initially received nearly N1 million for the first surgery called bladder closure.

    The problem the family is faced with now is how to raise N2.1million for the three remaining surgeries which include bladder neck repair that would cost N902,000; Epispadia repair that will gulp N635,120.00 and Reflux Surgery that would take N626,120.00.

    Emmanuel, who narrated his ordeal to our correspondent, said that while being grateful for the initial help from the public, he will be even happier and relieved if the public can help again with the remaining cash required for the three surgeries.

    “We humbly want to appreciate the entire people of the public following how they assisted us in contributing to the surgery of our son, Emmanuel Chizuruoke, who was born with a defect called bladder ex trophy which made him unable to urinate.  His doctor said that he was going to undergo four surgeries which include bladder closure, bladder neck repair, Epispadia repair and Reflux.

    “We are back to tell you that the first surgery, bladder closure, was successful and it wouldn’t have been possible without your contributions, We are grateful to all. May God Almighty bless you abundantly.

    “We are still pleading with you to assist in the remaining three surgeries the child is still going to undergo which will cost two million one hundred thousand, N2,100,000.00. Please, our brothers and sisters, we still plead with you all to assist us for we cannot afford such amount of money.  We are counting on you so much. Please help us and God will not fail you in any way,” Emmanuel pleaded.

    Emmanuel disclosed that all these while, they have been going to the University Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu for the repair because they cannot afford to fly him abroad that might cost more to accomplish.

    Emmanuel, who said that they hail from Nkerefi in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, said that before they cried out to the whole world, they tried to raise money in their community who are predominantly peasant farmers, to no avail and are left with the option of crying out to the whole world to come to their rescue.

    “We made efforts to get help from our community, Nkerefi. Our people are mainly farmers and no one could help us,” he lamented.

    Donors may send their donations to the following accounts: Emmanuel Divine Chizuruoke, UBA, 2078001642 or Emmanuel Grace Sharon, FCMB, 3251364010.

  • Malnutrition: A silent child killer

    Malnutrition: A silent child killer

    Consider these statistics: every year Nigeria loses 2,300 children under five years of age to child killer diseases; in a year 145 women of childbearing age also die. Out of the children’s casualty figure, 500 die of malnutrition. A survey is also said to show that two out of five Nigerian children are stunted, while almost 30 per cent are underweight. Again, blame it on malnutrition.

    This is of great concern to medical authorities. Malnutrition is gradually becoming a silent killer of children, apart from harming them in other ways.

    The Niger State Nutrition Officer, Mrs. Amina Isah giving the nutritional status of children in the state during a capacity-building workshop organised by the Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), said 409,993 children in the state are stunted, 65,815 children are wasted while 186,655 children are underweight, adding that in the last three months, 9,040 children have been diagnosed to be suffering from acute malnutrition.

    She expressed concern that Niger State has moved from medium burden to high burden state which has placed it as a priority state for nutrition intervention in Nigeria.

    Malnutrition is said to be a condition when the right amount and type of food including nutrients are not consumed. A lot of children suffer from malnutrition these days which results to stunted growth, wasting and being underweight.

    Nigeria has been rated as the country with one of the highest burdens of malnutrition in Africa and globally. One of the reasons for malnutrition can be the fact that only 17 per cent of infants are exclusively breastfed for the first six months while 70 per cent of children aged six to 23 months are not receiving the minimum acceptable diet.

    Proffering the way forward, Isah said that the state can stop malnutrition if the government and relevant health partners adopt a comprehensive costed state multi-sectoral nutrition strategic action plan, ensure adequate funding,  comprehensive response treatment and prevention programmes.

    The Project Director of the Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), Mrs. Beatrice Eluaka said that stunting is now a global indicator for measuring country’s development adding that Nigeria’s indicator is not encouraging; she said that the percentage of children malnourished in the country have not been stable over the last decade.

    She said that for the nation to adequately address malnutrition, there is the need for the implementation of the National Strategic Plan of Action for Nutrition (NSPAN) adding that NSPAN would save 123,000 lives yearly and avert 890,000 stunting in children under five years if implemented.

    Eluaka said that $912 million is needed to operationalize the National Strategic Plan Action for Nutrition (NSPAN) by the federal government stressing on the importance for government to ensure the implementation of the document which should have been in operation since 2014.

    Commending the Federal and state governments for improving on the allocation to the health sector, she said that the only solution to nutritional problems in the nation is for the government to implement, fund the roadmap already designed and create more provisions for the child and family health needs of the people.

  • Child Saftey: The Horrors of Girl Circumcision

    Child Saftey: The Horrors of Girl Circumcision

    Sometime last week, I had a heated debate with my colleague. According to her, she was circumcised when she was 10 years old by a local mid wife. As expected, it was a horrible experience.

    She is from Urhobo in Delta State, where it is a tradition to circumcise girls. I watched in discomfort as she described the inhuman experience. A blade was heated. She was made to lie down on a wide banana leaf on the ground, her legs were spread wide, forced down by two stern looking men. Without any form of anesthesia, she was cut through with the hot blade.  Her roof tattering scream fell on deaf ears. Her clitoris was chopped off in the most inhumane and barbaric way, she bled for days and the local midwife had to apply iodine on her vagina to stop the bleeding.

    Still, the pain was unbearable; she sat in hot water day and night for close to three weeks and had difficulty in urinating for many days. It was a highly traumatic experience for her.

    Her mother consoled her and reassured her that it was a necessary tradition which would welcome her to womanhood. she was visibly depressed as she relieved the traumatic experience and with sad eyes she told me that her daughter was about to experience the trauma she went through, her in-laws are insisting on circumcising her teenage daughter and she didn’t know how to stop them. At that juncture I lost my cool, how could such a barbaric tradition still be in existence? I was visibly shocked, I stared at her hoping she was joking, an educated family like hers could not possibly still be stuck in such archaic belief, it was unbelievable!. The look on her face was enough to convince me that she was very serious.

    We all have heard about this barbaric act and probably thought it’s a thing of the past. I did my research and discovered that it’s still being practiced in some parts of Nigeria.

    It is called female genital mutilation. It is the partial or total removal of the clitoris and labia majora. This procedure is an abuse of the girl child; it is cruel, inhuman, degrading and should be abolished completely. It should be a crime to put a child through such horrific experience.

    Female genital mutilation can result to death through severe bleeding and infection of the reproductive system. Not only would the child experience excruciating pain during the procedure, girls who have undergone FGM, suffer many long term negative effects which can be physical, sexual and psychological.

    The dangers associated with FGM are so many that you begin to wonder why so called ‘educated’ parents would want to put their child through such trauma. FGM can cause difficult and painful intercourse, reduce sexual desire and cause life threatening problems during labour and child birth. Most parents are of the belief that female genital mutilation will preserve a girl’s virginity and prepare her for marriage but that is the other way round as most girls that have undergone FGM become promiscuous in the quest to get sexual satisfaction.

    No child should be forced to go through FGM and the law should protect vulnerable children who are at risk from this harmful practice. There are no acceptable reasons to justify FGM and it should be totally eradicated and illegal to conduct such procedure on a child. Like my colleagues daughter, there are a lot more children who are about to go under the hot infectious blade in the name of girls circumcision. I hope the law can protect their sexual reproductive health and rights and end this age-long barbaric act.

    Njideka Obi, a lawyer, Child Safety Advocate, and Child Safety Educator

    08060424282, safersmarterchildren@gmail.com

  • How to make a child responsible

    How to make a child responsible

    Title: Practical Tips on Parenting Authors: Rachael Olusola Adewumi
    Publishers: International Publishers, Ibadan
    Year of Publication: 138
    Reviewer: Edozie Udeze

    What are the core values of proper parenting?  What does it really take to be a good parent – a parent who is in the right frame of mind and attitude to train his/her child very well?  These and more are some of the ideas contained in this book titled Practical Tips on Parenting.  Written by Rachael Olushola Adewumi, a retired matron, it has all the trappings of an author who has seen it all; someone who has spent almost all her career life administering to the needs of the public.

    Adewumi did not just bring her medical wherewithal to bear and reflect in her work and research, she used her knowledge of the scriptures to embellish the book so as to help parents see their children, first and foremost, are gifts from God.  This is why it is good to often refer to the Bible to see what God says concerning the issue of the proper discipline for the wellbeing of the child.  The author says: “Raising children is an assignment given to man by God.  God is the owner of children.  Man only holds them in trust for God, according to Psalm 127:3 – 5”.

    Adewumi goes on to say that “Many parents did not know as much as we knew when they were raising their children.  I happen to fall into this category”.  However, the core desire for most parents, if not all, is that their children should be better than them.  Indeed, this is the prayer on the lips of most fathers and mothers – let my child be better than I am.

    Nonetheless, the author takes it higher than this when she postulates thus: “this is one of the reasons why this book is published.  It is to let parents know the importance of laying a good and solid foundation for the future of their children.  This is so because one will eventually get back what one put in to train these children.” It is clear therefore that there are three major factors that necessitate success in life.  These include good foundational upbringing, natural talent and hard work.  The author states that in all these, functional upbringing can enable a child to discover his/her talent.  When this is done, it can help her to realize her potentials in life.

    The book notes and indeed makes it clear that in training a child, it becomes more encompassing and includes both physical, psychological, emotional, financial, cultural, spiritual, educational and other aspects of life.  It is the discipline exercised in these areas as a total compendium that helps the child to be very useful tomorrow.  When a child is therefore trained well to face the hurdles of life, he will turn out to be of good cheer both in character and in learning when she grows up.  When the reverse is the case, then this becomes a big problem not only for the child, but for her parents and the society at large.  Quoting copiously from the Bible, the author supports her research with the fact that God has made it known to mankind from the beginning that discipline and Godliness are essential in the training of the child.

    “Pray always with the family”, the book notes; “for behold children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a Warrior, so are the children of one’s youths.  Happy therefore is the man who has his quiver full of them.  They shall not be ashamed.  But they shall speak with their enemies in the gate (Psalm 127:3 – 5).

    In all, chasten your child when necessary.  Do it while there is hope.  And do not indeed set your heart on his destruction.  He who spares his rod hates his son.  But he who loves him, disciplines him promptly, so says the scripture in Proverbs 50.

    To make the book all engrossing and properly situated, Adewumi used illustrations and pictures to embellish the stories.  Where necessary, children, parents, guardians and the like, were used in order to make the issues clearer for readers.  This way, it is easier to read the messages and quickly relate them to the information contained therein.  It is therefore good for children to study this book for their own good.  It is even better for teachers to use it as a moral guide.

    With the picture of a pregnant woman well-sitted while placing a plate of fruits on her womb, the author notes – “the development of a child starts from the womb.  Expectant mothers should eat good foods, do enough physical exercises, attend antenatal clinic regularly.  Then they have to take the necessary immunization and also pray.”  Above all, mothers and indeed parents generally should note that they should trust in the power ad guidance of the Holy Spirit.  He helps to propel a family towards a positive direction.  The pictures are sharp enough to send the messages across to people.

    Also on pages two and three the pictures of a man and his pregnant woman and the woman looking glowingly towards the future respectively, further demonstrates the early beginning of parenthood.  The author advises that the man in particular should endeavour to speak peace, greatness, success and many other positive words into the life of the child, even when it is still in the womb.  These words have positive and powerful effects/impact on the child.  This on page three, it is instructive to confess good things for the child before he/she is born.  While it is good to inculcate the necessary habits on time, it is imperative to watch out for the minutest details concerning her health, attitude and so on.

    The 138 page book is full of all aspects of ways to train a child.  It is good for everyone.  It is also a handy book for teachers and moral instructors.  It is an ingredient to re-order the society in terms of morals and attitudes.