50% of Refugees in Africa are Children, Says NGO

The Oyo State Chairman of Association of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Non-Governmental Organisations in Nigeria (AONN), Pastor Marcus Williams, at the weekend raised the alarm that  50 per cent of refugees in Africa are children with not less than three million children forced out of their roots due to various humanitarian crises.

He also said about 400, 000 children are out of school in Oyo State, stating that the time has come for government at all levels and private sector to rise up to defend the right of children in order to guard against violation of their rights.

Williams, who made the disclosure in Ibadan while addressing journalists on the occasion of the International Day of African Child,  said children all over the world are facing a lot of challenges as their rights and privileges are been trampled upon by people who ought to be protecting them.

According to him, "Children constitute a significant proportion of populations on the move across international and national borders globally with a large number of those children moving from and across Africa, especially Oyo State in the south-western region of Nigeria. In Africa, 50 per cent  refugees are children, with about three million children forced out of their origins due to various humanitarian crises. Among migrants, nearly one in three is a child, which is more than twice the global average.

"The requirement to place children’s rights first is an indication that where there is an obligation, the requisite body or individual must fulfill such an obligation in the interests of the child or children concerned. This is a restatement of the need to uphold the best interests of the child at all times."

Williams also noted that stakeholders are under the obligation to evaluate the viability of their policies to cater for children in vulnerable situations, including children with disabilities, to ensure that their rights are upheld, adding that humanitarian crises have far-reaching implications which affect all strata of society.

Speaking on the roles of the organisation, he said it is working on children wellbeing in Nigeria and "seeks to commemorate the Day of the African Child via this press conference to draw attention to the rights of children and access to humanitarian response."

The group chairman pointed out that the African Child Day is also to celebrate the memory of students in Soweto, South Africa who were killed and wounded in 1976 during protest against poor quality education and demand that they should be taught in their own languages.

He highlighted some of the organisation expectations from the state government and other stakeholders to include using  preventive measures to avoid humanitarian situations which lead to the violation of the rights of the children; protection and promotion of children’s rights during humanitarian emergencies as a key to achieving the desired outcome of aspirations; develop strategies that indicate the steps taken to ensure that the best interests of the child, especially children with disabilities, are upheld in humanitarian crises.

Williams said: "We also want to appeal to the government to do more in ensuring that laws that protect the rights of children are enforced and the populace sensitised on existing laws with emphasis on penalties when the rights of children are trampled upon, because it is the duty of the government to protect and fulfill such.”