The Kwara State Government, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has trained Auxiliary Social Workers drawn from various sectors on how to increase guardianship and safekeeping of children in the state, as part of efforts to protect the rights of children in the society.
Speaking at the four-day training held at United Secondary School, Taiwo, over the weekend, the Commissioner for Social Development, Hajia Mariam Nnafatima Imam, (PhD) said the training was organised to heighten child protection and ensure the safety of every child in the state.
The Commissioner disclosed that the training would equip the auxiliary social workers with the knowledge and skills needed to identify and respond to child abuse promptly as well as protect children whenever the need arises.
“Today’s event marks another milestone in our shared journey toward building a strong, functional and sustainable child protection system at the grassroots level. Through the strengthening of Community-Based Child Protection Structures and the development of an effective Auxiliary Social Service Workforce, we are laying a solid foundation that will enable communities to protect their children and respond swiftly and appropriately to cases of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence,” Hajia Imam stated.
She added that the training became imperative owing to the emerging challenges against children which require a concerted effort, saying “the challenges facing children today require collaboration, innovation and sustained commitment. No institution can do it alone. The Ministry values the role of community leaders, teachers, health workers, civil society organizations, religious institutions and most importantly, community members themselves.”
The Commissioner called on the participants and the public to cooperate with the state government to adequately create a safer and more dignified environment for the children, with the aim of ensuring their protection across the state and promised the state government’s support to the auxiliary social workers through the provision of necessary tools to enhance their effectiveness, and vowed to work closely with the appropriate authorities to ease their operations.
Hajia Imam commended the UNICEF for its unwavering support to the state government in promoting child rights protection and reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to fulfilling the agreements reached with UNICEF.
Earlier in her lecture, one of the resource persons, Dr. (Mrs.) Tolu Fakayode, advocated commitment and strong human relations on the part of the participants to enable them to carry out the tasks ahead effectively.
Another facilitator at the training, Dr. Seun Olasehinde, also urged the participants to be diligent in their new responsibilities by preventing cases of child abuse and molestation, stressing that prevention is far better than cure.
Janet Bogunjoko,
Press Secretary,
MOSD.