The lawmaker representing the Obokun State Constituency in the Osun State House of Assembly, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has called for stiffer punishment for child abuse in the country.
He said there was also the need for activation of a support system for the protection of vulnerable children.
Oyintiloye spoke on Sunday in a statement to commemorate the Children’s Day celebration.
According to him, this year’s celebration should serve as a wake-up call to all stakeholders to scale up activities that will restore the dignity of the Nigerian child.
He noted that the statistics from the United Nations Children Funds that 10.5 million Nigerian children were out of school was not only upsetting, but also called for urgent actions by parents, governments, as well as non- governmental organisations.
“He acknowledged that the day is not only special, but one that should be used to celebrate children across the nation and reflects on their state generally.
“Oyintiloye further took advantage of the auspicious day to reiterate the need for domestication of the Child Act Law that will further protect the rights of vulnerable children, especially in their exclusive right to education as enshrined in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 13 & Article 14 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Right, UNESCO’s convention against discrimination in education and most importantly, convention on the right of the child adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1989 and ratified by 192 countries, including Nigeria,” the statement said.