Debbie Ariyo, CEO of Afruca Safeguarding Children-United Kingdom and a globally recognised child protection advocate, has declared that “child protection is everybody’s business”, insisting that every adult shares the duty to keep children safe from harm.
Ariyo made this claim at a one-Day seminar organized by Centre for Children’s Health Education, Orientation and Protection, CEE-HOPE Nigeria, an NGO focused on rights, welfare, rehabilitation & dev of young people & vulnerable groups in marginalized & rural communities.
The event, themed around child sexual abuse prevention, child labour, online safety, gender-based violence policies in schools, reporting mechanisms, and building safe communities, drew media practitioners, NGO leaders, school heads, and other stakeholders with supervisory roles over children.
Ariyo emphasised the urgent need to strengthen the Nigeria laws, to protect children’s rights while advocating for the political will to implement the laws.
She also urged the public never to look away from a child in danger. “Anytime you see a child being harmed, know that child is a big deal. Don’t stigmatise the victim but stigmatise, arrest, prosecute, and jail the abuser,” she said.
She insisted that homes, schools, churches, mosques, and every place children gather must be sanctuaries, never sites of harm.
Betty Abah, Founder and Executive Director of CEE-HOPE Nigeria, urged stakeholders to continue to push for laws that will protect children from any form of abuse stating that child sexual abuse is minimal in countries where the laws are enforced.
“Safeguarding means putting pre-emptive measures in place so children are never harmed in the first place; protection is intervening after harm occurs. We must prioritise prevention.
“Abusers act because consequences are rare. Let them know they will spend their lives in jail, and they will think twice,” she said.
She called for a swift end to corporal punishment, warning that physical beatings traumatise children and perpetuate cycles of abuse across generations.
Abah called on journalists to drive justice, saying, “The media can make a world of difference by reporting, spotlighting, staying on cases, and exposing abusers and the officials who compromise the system.”
Kris Oziofu Ekuafeh, founder of The Wellness Boss Company and Stress Mastery Outreach for Kids, stated that safeguarding is about putting systems in place to prevent the victimization and abuse of children, advising stakeholders to prioritize prevention over intervention.
“To protect our future, we must start safeguarding our children today,” she added. “As adults, we need to sensitize ourselves first so we can empower children to take better care of themselves.”
On her part, Aderonke Oyelakin, State Coordinator of Child Protection Network Lagos, an Initiative of UNICEF, said stakeholders must unite to ensure children are protected from all forms of abuse.
Stressing the need for collaboration, she said, “please, don’t look away because any child you neglect today can become a danger to your own children”.
She also noted the need to train stakeholders to understand child protection policy, so as to know the right thing to do when a child is exposed to any form of violence.