Over 1.4 million children had been forced to flee conflict in Nigeria and the region.
Christophe Boulierac of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) disclosed this at a briefing by the Information Service of the United Nations.
He said a sharp increase in attacks by the Boko Haram armed group had uprooted 500,000 children over the past five months.
In northern Nigeria alone, Boulierac said nearly 1.2 million children had been forced to flee their homes while additionally, 265,000 children had been displaced to the neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Asked if the 1.2 million displaced children were accompanied by their families or alone,Boulierac said a number of children had been separated from their families, following attacks on their communities.
He said women and children were increasingly being used and exploited by armed groups, in bombing attacks and other ways.
” Children were used as a tactic of war and it was the worst form of child abuse. It was important to consider children who were used for bomb attacks as victims and not perpetrators. Some were not even informed that they were carrying explosives,” Boulierac said.
Tag: Children
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Boko Haram: 1. 4 m children forced to flee from home
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Year of Action to End Violence Against Children launched
President Muhammadu Buhari has launched the Year of Action to End Violence Against Children in response to the high rate of violence revealed in the Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey, released last week.
Millions of children suffer violence every year in Nigeria – approximately 6 out of every 10 children under the age of 18 years experience some form of physical, emotional and sexual violence before the age of 18 years, according to the Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey, carried out by the National Population Commission, with support from UNICEF and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Announcing the launch of the year-long campaign to end violence against children, the President said “This is a historic day, a day when Nigeria stands up and says to our children – we commit to protecting you from violence.”
The survey found that one in two children experience physical violence; one in four girls and one in ten boys experience sexual violence; and one in six girls and one in five boys experience emotional violence. The majority of children do not tell anyone what has happened to them and fewer than five per cent receive the help they need to recover.
“These findings are an urgent call to action not only for the Government, but also for civil society organisations, religious and traditional groups, the media, the private sector, communities, parents and families to come together to tackle violence against children,” the President added, pledging the full commitment of the Government of Nigeria during the campaign and beyond to tackle violence against children.
To develop a robust response plan to the findings of the survey, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has brought together representatives from key Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, as well as Civil Society and Faith Based Organisations.
“The Government of Nigeria and its partners are to be congratulated on their commitment to end violence against children” noted UNICEF Nigeria Representative Jean Gough. “UNICEF will continue to support Nigeria in its efforts to ensure that children are protected from sexual, physical and emotional violence”.
“We have made progress in this fight but much still remains to be done” added U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, Maria E. Brewer. “All children must be protected from abuse, violence, exploitation and neglect. Violence against children is never justified. Violence is preventable.”
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Troops rescue women, children
The Army said yesterday that scores of women and children held captive by Boko Haram insurgents have been rescued by troops along Banki, Kumashe and Bama axis in Borno State.
Acting Director of Army Public Relations Col. Sani Usman, in a statement said the advancing troops cleared four camps along the axis, while several others were cleared in Bolungu 1 and 2, Bula Doye and Cheehi Dare areas in the state.
“Nigerian troops advancing to clear all known Boko Haram terrorists camps towards Banki, Kumshe axis and Bama axis cleared four more camps earlier on Tuesday.
“They were able to clear the terrorists’ camps at Bolungu 1 and 2, Bula Doye and Cheehi Dare and secured a very important bridge linking the towns of Miyanti and Banki in Borno State.
“The gallant troops also rescued dozens of kidnapped women and children held captive by Boko Haram terrorists.’’
It said more enclaves of the insurgents would be cleared as troops involved in the operations advanced towards more areas previously occupied by the insurgents.
The statement said the offensive operations by ground troops and aerial bombardments by the Air Force would continue in the region until the insurgency was ended.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the military had intensified offensive against the insurgents with the aim of ending their reign of terror in the North East.
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Troops rescue more women, children held by Boko Haram
The Nigerian Army said on Tuesday that scores of women and children held captive by Boko Haram insurgents have been rescued by troops along Banki, Kumashe and Bama axis in Borno.
The acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman confirmed the development in a statement issued in Abuja.
He said the advancing troops cleared four camps along the axis, while several others were cleared in Bolungu 1 and 2, Bula Doye and Cheehi Dare areas also in Borno.
“Nigerian troops advancing to clear all known Boko Haram terrorists camps towards Banki, Kumshe axis and Bama axis have cleared 4 more camps earlier on Tuesday.
“They were able to clear the terrorists’ camps at Bolungu 1 and 2, Bula Doye and Cheehi Dare and secured a very important bridge linking the towns of Miyanti and Banki in Borno State.
“The gallant troops also rescued dozen of kidnapped women and children held captive by Boko Haram terrorists.’’
It said more enclaves of the insurgents would be cleared as troops involved in the operations advanced towards more areas previously occupied by the insurgents.
The statement said the offensive operations by ground troops and aerial bombardments by the Nigerian Air Force would continue in the region until the insurgency was ended.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the military had intensified offensive against the insurgents with the aim of ending their reign of terror in the North East.
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Respiratory infections still kill children
Many children are suffering from lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), says a pulmonologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr Michelle Dania.
Dania who spoke exclusively with The Nation, said more need to be done to reduce the rate of LRTI, especially as it affects the lower part of the airways and lungs.
According to her, any infection below the respiratory tract known as the larynx is the lower tract infection because it is close to the voice box. “Any infection above the larynx is an upper respiratory tract infection,” She added.
Dania, who is a consultant physician said there are tubes that take air into the lungs. They are the trachea, bronchi and the long parenchyma, he said, adding: “Infections affecting the tubes are mostly known as bronchitis or acute bronchitis. Bronchiolitis can be found in children less than two years.”
Dr. Dania said pneumonia, acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis are the most common types of LRTI. “Some people see influenza as LRTI whereas it affects both the upper and lower respiratory system.” she said.
She spoke of asthma as a non-member of lower respiratory tract infection. Why? “Normally, some infections can worsen the symptoms of asthma because it is not an infection per say. Asthma is not classified as LRTI unlike pneumonia.”
She said tuberculosis can be classified as lower respiratory tract infection because it has organisms which also cause infection in the lower part of the respiratory tract.
“LRTI generally are caused by organisms, viruses, adenovirus and bacteria,” she said.
The specialist listed cough, fever, abnormal breathing and restlessness as common symptoms of lower respiratory tract infection. “Fever is a major symptom and patient will need to take enough fluid to prevent dehydration,” she noted.
Dr Dania said: “Antibiotics are used to manage infections. Also, supportive treatment is needed. Many times when patients have LRTI, they develop fever and use antipyretic (medication to bring down the fever).”
Her words: “Generally, children are prone to infections because they are still young and are building their immunity. Most times, they have lots of recurrent viral infections.
“Depending on what the likely organisms are, not all LRTI are induced by bacteria. However, those induced by bacteria will need antibiotics but those induced by viral infections, the patient may not need antibiotics.”
The preventive measures, she said, are exclusive breast feeding for children, proper nutrition, immunization and vaccination from zero to five years. She advised on frequent hand washing with soap and water to prevent contamination of LRTI.
Speaking on the severity of LRTI, she said, oxygen should be given to patients to support their breathing and intravenous to take fluid into the body.
LRTI incidents, she said, are reducing due to the use of vaccination. Also, people are now adopting good lifestyle and mothers have been encouraged to breastfeed their babies.
“The menace of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has made the infection not to be well controlled because HIV patients are prone to LRTI. Otherwise, I would say it is on a downward trend,” Dania said.0404.
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US Consulate holds Reading Express for children
The Barack Obama American Corner has engaged pupils between five and 12 in a month-long summer reading programme called the Summer Reading Express at the Ovie House, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The occasion, the fourth in the series, was to encourage pupils to pick up and develop a healthy reading habit, the Coordinator, Lois Ekeleme, said.
At the close of the event, Acting Public Affairs Officer for the United States’ Consulate-General, Lagos, Kathy Bondy, read from the book: Engineering Elephants to the children.
Aunty Kathy, as she was fondly called by the pupils, said she chose the book due to the focus of the United States on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) education and the need to spread its awareness, across the world, especially to female children.
She advised parents to read to their children often to build up their reading culture.
“We think that, particularly, STEM education is very important, so we focus on science, technology, engineering and maths, particularly, for young girls and women. But we want everyone to be learning whatever subject they choose. So that is why, today, I read a story about engineering. It is always a great idea to read to your children. You can read to them a great story or a newspaper, or even small stories like the one I just read and do this in an engaged way. So if you can read to them before you go to sleep at night, or during your break during the day, it is a great way to spend time with your children and have a focus on family time,” she said.
For Ekeleme, guiding the children through their books had been an enjoyable task.
She said the children, who were engaged in activities, which cut across reading, writing and arts and craft, had recorded improvements in their reading abilities during the programme.
Lois said getting a child to read involved engaging the child in a personal, interactive manner.
She said: “A lot of children think that reading is boring but if you make reading fun, then the children are willing to participate and read; and if you use books that are age sensitive and that they can relate with culturally, then you see that the children are willing to read with you. Besides, you know the way we teach in school today, we just read comprehension and sometimes, that can be boring so when you read to them in tiny groups of six or seven, you would see that you are able to engage with them and vice versa. They would ask questions and you would understand each other better, which you would not achieve in class.”
She expressed dissatisfaction with the increasing disinterest of pupils in reading, calling for society to intervene.
One of the participants, a 10-year- old Sherifat Ibrahim of Kuramo Primary School, Victoria Island, said she looked forward to the reading programme, because of the interesting and inspiring stories they were told.
Another pupil, nine-year-old Happiness John from the same school, said she would love to be an engineer so that she could manufacture surf boards.
Happiness described Aunty Kathy as nice, saying: “She read to us in a way that we understood and taught us what engineering is all about as well as what to do to be an engineer.”
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Setting goals for our children
Dear Harriet, Please, how do we help our children set goals?
Mr. Ademola Lagos.
THE long awaiting holiday will be over soon. The holiday has been full of excitement for some children. Sure it had its wonderful moments. As the day is getting closer, parents, on the other hand, are getting ready for their normal school run routine.
With the excitement also came some worries, as parents think about how their children will cope in a new school for those going into secondary or changing school, new classes, new teachers, homework, projects and social experiences of school.
Children need proper guidance from parents or guardians in order to follow the right path of life. Helpful tips are as follows:
Sense of dependence. Parents should make their children understand that they must be dependent upon God, not on their strength. Teens with all the happenings, in most cases, feel they can handle situations on their own at this stage. Children and teens must understand early that there will be situations so overpowering that only God can give solutions. These problems might surface in form of finances, health, spouse, children, family, academics and even work, to name a few. Make them understand that if they want favour from God and man with a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then they must put their trust in God only not in themselves. The best way for children to learn this goal of dependence is actually when they see their parents or guardians put into practice what the preach. As a matter of fact, we must be good role models.
Responsibility for actions and consequences- The hallmark of good character is the acceptance of responsibility for one’s action. In life, you reap what you sow and best things for parents or guardians to model for their children is responsible behaviour . No excuses allowed ever! No child is going to go through life without their share of problems, mistakes, sins and blunders. Therefore, the solution is not found in denial, rather in acceptance of responsibility for their action or behaviour, though at the time of the action, the lessons are hard and sometimes painful, however, insisting on it with help to mould a young man or woman’s character.
Recognize and embrace their potential As parents, it is very important to give children an awareness of their worth. Children and teenagers are full of potential and it is extremely vital that parents or guardians help them to realize that. An understanding of their potential and ability is only part of the job. They need to be thankfully and thoughtful and be willing to exert the necessary self-discipline to develop and grow their children their abilities and opportunities.
Keeping assuring your children that they have potential that they can finish any task given once they set their mind on it. Tell them they have unique talent just waiting to be uncovered and explored. They need to hear this from you because of the trust they have in you. Potential is not to be wasted or squandered. It is to be nurtured and encouraged. Tell them continuously that they can. Why? Because they really can.
Use their ability- Encourage your children to try many things, to explore numerous options, to learn how to put in their best always.
Hope- Parents or guardians should always remind their children about the importance of hope, teaching them that winners do not quit. They carry on in spite of obstacles because they strongly believe in themselves and what the future has in store for them.
Hopelessness is demoralizing, empty, and lonely. It is the worst disease one can be inflicted with. It can take the most gifted child and make him frustrated, frightened and unproductive. The best chance for a productive and prosperous future is to give your children an understanding of hope. Goal-oriented people are those who learn to live in hope because they are always moving toward an objective.
Happiness We all want our children to be happy. Happiness, however, is not to be confused with absence of problem and struggles. As a matter of fact, encourage your children to discover what they like to and can do, then do it. In this process of discovery ,they will walk their way through many difficulties in life. Note that even when they identify what they like, they will still have to tackle problems and sacrifices. Teach them how to turn problems into opportunities. Look back on your own life. You will realize that the greatest period of growth has come as a direct result of problems solved and new insight gained.
Good character. It is important to teach our children about having good character. There is no higher praise someone can give your children than to say they have good character. This quality is essential to achieving personal success and fulfillment in life. They should understand that everything we do or say ultimately reveals our character. The greatest gift we can give our children is a model character. Character, as we know, inspire.
Sense of fun. Having fun and maintaining a childlike enthusiasm is a worthy goal for which every parent or guardian should want for their children. Stress the importance of taking their responsibilities seriously, but never themselves. Teach them to laugh at themselves and to carry a smile everywhere they go. Fun is the fabric of happy memories (suggested goal) , the icing on the cake of life. It ends far sooner than any of us would like. Allow your children see you laughing and enjoying life. This, in return, will tickle the toes of their soul as well.
Let these goals listed above be a part of your children’s every day thinking .Trust me, people who live on purpose develop by and though goal-directed behaviour has a greater chance of developing this type of mind-set. It is thinking at this level that will help children to reach their full potential.
Harriet ogbobine is a counselor and a motivational speaker. Send your questions and suggestions to her on bineharriet@gmail.com or txt message only 08023058805. You can also follow her on twitter: @bineharrietj
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‘Diabetic mothers risk giving birth to children with brain defect’
An Abuja-based gynecologist, Dr Kola Osibote, has said mothers with diabetic conditions are at risk of giving birth to children with brain defects.
Osibote told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday that diabetes increases pregnancy related risks and causes lots of negative effects to the mother and child.
He explained that brain, spinal cord and heart problems associated with diabetes could be identified at the early stage of pregnancy.
He said that blood sugar was the baby’s source of food which passes to the child through the placenta.
“When a woman has diabetes and her blood sugar is poorly managed, excess amounts of sugar are transported to the baby.
“In this case the baby does not have diabetes and can increase the production of insulin substantially in order to use this extra sugar,” Osibote said.
The gynecologist stressed that the existence of the abnormal cycle result in diverse complications.
He said one of the complications associated with diabetic pregnant mothers is giving birth to over weight babies also known as “macrosomia”.
“Diabetic pregnant women stand the chance of been delivered of over weight babies weighing more than 3,500 grams or be born greater than the 90 percentile of the gestational age.
“This happens because the baby responds to the excess sugar which the large amount of insulin produced by the baby is converted to body fat.
“We can just say that the baby is been overfed while still in the uterus,” he said.
The expert said the delivery of such a baby could be more difficult for both the baby and the mother; adding that caesarean delivery would be required.
He observed that most obstetricians conduct an ultrasound to approximate the weight of the baby before delivery so as to determine if vaginal delivery could be attempted.
Osibote warned against delivering a large baby through the vagina when the mother is diabetic.
He added that it could be life threatening and exposing the woman to the most frightening obstetrical emergencies.
He also said that such a delivery could expose the child to a shoulder dystocia (where the baby’s head delivers but the shoulders are too large to fit through the birth canal).
Osibote further said that a child could also have low blood sugar after birth, which is “neonatal hypoglycemia”.
“If the baby’s pancreas is making large amounts of insulin in response to the mother’s high blood sugar, it will continue to do so for a time after delivery.
“Since the sugar supply from the mother is no longer present once the baby has been delivered, blood sugar can drop too low,” he said.
Osibote advised that it was important that babies born to women with diabetes should be monitored very closely for the first few hours of life to check their blood sugar.
He added that such babies might require more frequent breast milk or bottle feeding to maintain their blood sugar at a normal range.
The expert said that birth defects could be recognised within the first six months of pregnancy, adding that infecting the child at that stage could be preventable.
“The most common birth defects to a diabetic mother are brain, spinal and heart defects, and some of these defects can be detected during the first half of the pregnancy.
“This can be diagnosed through ultrasound checks and prenatal tests,” he said.
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How to save convulsing children – Expert
Dr Hassan Adelakun, Managing Director, Angel and Eagle Global Rescue Services Ltd, on Monday advised parents on precautionary measures in saving the life of convulsing children.
Giving the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, he cautioned mothers against the idea of forcing spoon on the mouth of a convulsing child.
Adelakun, who attributed the causes of convulsion to include epilepsy and fever-related diseases, however, blamed the death of the patient on mismanagement of the crises.
He noted other mismanagement of convulsion to include force feeding, putting oil, salt and spoon into their mouth, adding that such action could complicate the crises thereby leading to their untimely death.
Adelakun recommended the removal of those things that can injure the affected children while having jacking movement and avoiding forcing the spoon against their tongue as a precautionary measure.
The expert, however, decried the general practice of forcing the spoon against the tongue of the patient when the patient is clenching the teeth against the tongue.
He explained that clenching the teeth against the tongue does not kill patient, adding that as soon as the crisis is over the patient would automatically open his teeth.
Adelakun, who identified one of the causes of convulsion as febrile (the hotness of the body), said when it occurred you deep cloth in cold water to mop their body.
According him, cooling down the temperature would in a long way revive the convulsing child.
“There are one thousand and one causes of convulsion, it could be epilepsy, fever related, among others. The most important thing is that not the convulsion that usually kill children but what we do immediately it occurs.
“As soon as it occurs you see people force feeding the child, trying to put urine, oil, salt in their mouth and those things will now go to their chest and complicate their problem.
“At the event of convulsion so far they are not clenching their teeth against the tongue there is no need to force open the tongue.
“Even if they are clenching the teeth against the tongue force open the tongue then put a paddled wooden or table spoon coated with a handkerchief so that they do not injure their tongue.
“But once the teeth is clench do not worry because is not the clenching of teeth that kill them but most convulsion are self limiting, it stop by itself,’’ Adelakun advised.
NAN reports that Angel and Eagle Global is an American heart association training centre in basic life support, a training site for advance cardiovascular life support , among other
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Creative Station for children kicks off
The Management of the National Troupe of Nigeria has announced that it is ready to play host at the 6th edition of its annual Creative Station Workshop for Children and Teens. The workshop was introduced in 2009 as a way of developing the imaginative skills of children and it has been held successfully since then.
In a statement to announce the commencement of preparation for this year’s edition, the Artistic Director and Chief Executive officer of the National Troupe, Mr. Akin Adejuwon, disclosed that this year’s edition would hold between July 27th and August 30, 2015 at the National Theatre, Iganmu Lagos. ‘’Like the other editions, this edition is planned to hold during the long vacation/summer break and we consider this one of our flag ship programmes because it is in line with the Troupe’s objective of encouraging the development of Children Theatre and primarily, as a way of engaging the children creatively during their long holiday,’’ he said.
Coordinated by the director in charge of Drama of the National Troupe, Ms Josephine Igberaese, the Creative Station workshop, which will close with a command performance on August 30, 2015 is also designed to prepare the children for a future career in the theatre by exposing them to storytelling, creative writing, singing, dancing, acting, voice training, puppetry, creative writing, pantomime and improvisational skills. Ms Igberaese explained that the fee-paying workshop is for children between the ages of 6 and 18. She further explained that the workshop was the troupe’s own intervention in terms of productively engaging the children creatively during the long holiday. According to her, “we believe that by engaging them creatively, they will not only take their minds off certain known vices during the long holiday but they will be able to polish their individual creative talents.”
Speaking on the workshop, Mr. Adejuwon stated that the Troupe would engage experts in different areas of the theatre to complement the effort of the in-house professionals. “We have qualified staff in-house but because of the number of children that the workshop attracts, we will need more hands to instruct them. I am more particular about the quality of instructions so that when their parents sit back to watch them on August 30, they will be proud of their children and wards,’’ he said.
In a related development, the National Troupe has moved forward its planned tour of Ghana to a later date. The tour, which was originally scheduled to hold this July, was postponed because of the delay in the release of funds. The Artistic Director has however assured that the Troupe will embark on the tour as soon as funds are released.
In the meantime, the creative station has produced many young artistes who are doing well in their various areas. This means that the idea of the creative station meant to catch them young has been effective. Therefore, it is expected that government should come in to give necessary impetus and encouragement to the management of the Natiional Troupe of Nigeria to be able to go further than this.
This way, more young artistes will be discovered and given the necessary encouragement to do well in this area of endeavour.