Today 1st April, 2022 marks the beginning of child abuse prevention month worldwide.
Child and Youth Protection Foundation (CYPF) Joins its colleagues across the globe to raise awareness and encourage citizens to help understand and create a positive childhood experience that is void of all forms of abuse.
Now more than ever, we need to work together to develop and support child protection systems in Nigeria. State actors, non-state actors, businesses, communities, neighborhoods, faith-based groups, and individuals all have a role to play in preventing all forms of harm and violence against children in homes, schools, and communities.
We strongly believe that events from childhood can last a lifetime and childhood adversity can have long-lasting negative health effects into adulthood. Science shows that healthy, happy, and thriving children have better odds of becoming healthy and happy adults.
In furtherance of this, we call on individuals and organizations who share our belief that all children should thrive and live in families that are surrounded by supportive, secure communities to join us.
We also call on the Federal, state, and local governments in Nigeria to expedite efforts in ensuring that child protection systems work at all levels of government and that effective funding of child protection budgetary allocations should be seen as a priority.
Our future depends on our children and if we do not protect them now, we may be walking into a battered and bitter future as a society.
ACT NOW AND BE RESPONSIBLE.
Kolawole Olatosimi
National Coordinator
