UNICEF, NOA want communities to protect children, women against violence
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) on Wednesday, urged communities to protect children and women against violence and abuses in Niger.
Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Kaduna Filed Office, Dr Wilfred Mammah, made the call during an advocacy, grassroot dialogue and confidence building in Lokoto community of Bosso Local Government Area of Niger.
The dialogue was to support communities in the State that were revaged by flood to recover, rebuild and move on with their livelihoods.
Mammah explained that the advocacy was to identify challenges of communities that were affected by flood for UNICEF intervention towards supporting their livelihoods.
“When there is disaster of any kind, children and women are mostly affected, most children and women are violated in the process of disasters.
“When a community is suffering poverty, children and women are always at the receiving end, that is why we are here today to listen to your challenges on the aftermath of flood disaster to see where you need help.
“Most people in the community are mostly farmers, whose farm lands were affected by flood, we want to intervene to ensure that children do not suffer in terms of right to good food, education and health,” he said.
He said that UNICEF in partnership with NOA would do a case management documentation of all affected persons to know the level of impact caused by flood to know the kind of support they need to support their livelihoods.
The education specialist added that UNICEF and NOA would help rebuild the confidence flood affected persons to enable them to support women and children, adding that necessary steps would be taken to support them recover their livelihoods.
He added that UNICEF intervention was to help ease the pain and suffering of affected persons to avoid them venting their pains and anger on children and women which results to violence and abuse.
Village Head of Lokoto, Alhaji Salihu Maigida, thanked UNICEF and NOA for identifying with the community to bring succour to their plight.
