THE TIME AND SEASON WE ARE IN: NEED FOR COLLABORATIONS AT COMMUNITY LEVELS TO SETUP MONITORING FRAMEWORKS

By Nnabugwu Chizoba,

As economic stagnation, escalating prices of goods and services and consistent increase in criminal activities stare Nigerians in the face; and as the well-meaning citizens bear witness to the seeming inability of the foremost, respected and front-line institutions and structures created in the country to provide the right organizational interventions: manpower, skills and direction display lack of capacity to effectively stem the drift, the easily, noticeable ugly trends in the county, the voice of citizens that are desirous of finding workable approaches to changing the narratives will not seize.

Increasing cases of kidnapping, banditry and sexual exploitation and abuse, violence, rejections and discrimination occur in diverse ways, and sometimes openly. Disturbing and disheartening is the ease with which they occur. The rate of success, distribution of victims and the locations are issues of concern. The vices occur in remote and hidden places and within vicinity of the law enforcement agencies, such as the barracks.

The foregoing lay credence to the fact that alternative approaches are needed in the struggle to secure and offer protections to Nigerians, the children, and in particular, the Girl Child and other vulnerable people from crimes and abuses by communities to ensure citizens well-being.

For the 2023/2024 Annual Otampa Football Championship

The present time and season: Christmas and End-of-the year cum New Year, is making it increasingly more demanding for communities to put in place drastic lifesaving measures. To behave as if this season is not and will not add to the pressure faced by citizens is a fluke. Heightening, exacerbating and worsening scenarios adding to the woes, hues and cries of the Girl Child and threaten her well-being will most likely occur in this period. It is an established fact that the Girl Child is constantly facing multiple risks that will worsen due to economic downturn and challenges of the season.

Sexual exploitation and abuse, violence and other forms of crime against the Girl Child abound and will increase within the festive season. A close link exists between this season, the harsh economy and insecurity. Put succinctly, bad economy triggers pressure that festive eras exacerbate.

Stories abound of the devastating negative consequences to the Girl Child in particular, and Nigerian citizens generally, of the prolonged and “un-abatable” insecurity situation, largely localized in the North-eastern, but present also in the other 5 Geo-political Zones of the country. There are glaring indicators of the deplorable conditions of life that the girl child majorly and other Nigerians are facing presently in the country. 

 

Visit Otampa this festive Season

The near absence of community-owned, indigenous oriented and people driven “Child Protection and Safety-frameworks” are not healthy for the society. Community-owned monitoring and child protection structure to care for the obviously vulnerable Girl Child, whose exposure to various threats and risks of sexual abuse, exploitation, discrimination and neglect, violence and insecurity are widened by the spate of both the known and imaginable activities that will be partly generated by the influx of people to the rural communities in view of the festive period.

The preoccupation therefore, of communities right now should be to raise protection frameworks to ensure that all the genders are safe from sexual exploitation, abuse, discrimination, neglect, violence and abduction, and are free from other harmful practices and insecurity.

The same mechanism should also be deployed to ensure that returnees from the cities go back with enduring and refreshing experiences of their rural communities. Exposing them to the investment opportunities in the local areas is here suggested. Most of them due to misinformation and ignorance harbor negative impressions about their place of origin.

Many lessons to learn from this Foundation - visit Otampa

Cross-sectional risks in the form of limited access to food and lack of new clothes, shoes and beautiful hair-do for Christmas and New Year are few alluring fancies of the season. They serve as fertile grounds and breeding pots, slaughter traps and entry points for the negative minded and evil brewers. Indecent dressing and exposure are other potential risk factors. Collective efforts are required to curtail and avert the risks inherent from them. While collective efforts are highly recommended, fact remains that communities will achieve more positive results with organize structures. Heartwarming results, improved relationships and creative linkages will be raised that are necessary for building sustainable interfaces between the rural community dwellers and their returnee city people.

Wishing the lucky candidates successful outing

Successful execution of the above by communities demands unwavering commitment and unflinching believe that there are enduring benefits and power that accrue to them that recognize, practice and promote the core principles of active community engagement, collective support and group participation in community affairs. In this regard, setting up and activating community oriented, people driven monitoring and protection frameworks to guard against sexual exploitation, abuses, violence, discrimination and others that are faced by the Girl Child and other citizens is essential.