MWL and UNHCR conclude a grant agreement to support child protection project in Nigeria
The agreement embodies the conviction of the MWL and UNHCR of the important joint cooperation to achieve their shared goals of protecting refugees
The agreement contributes to saving myriad children subjected to violence, exploitation, trafficking or military recruitment
Increasing the capacity of duty-bearers to prevent abuse, exploitation and violence of children
Holding meetings and dialogues with cultural, religious and community leaders on child protection
Training of officials to combat child trafficking and protect them
The Muslim World League (MWL) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have concluded a grant agreement to support the activities of the UNHCR Child Protection Interventions project in northeastern Nigeria, where more than 2.1 million men, women and children have been internally displaced since the outbreak of the crisis in 2009, with the number of displaced people from Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states amount to 1.9 million displaced people.
The agreement stressed that this figure highlights the fact that the crisis continues and severely affect children separated from their real parents or caregivers, as hundreds find themselves responsible for supporting others, a matter which increases their exposure to abuse and exploitation, which has been exacerbated by the Coronavirus pandemic.
The MWL and UNHCR expressed their conviction of the important joint cooperation to achieve their shared goals of providing protection and support to refugees and other relevant persons, who fall under the mandate of UNHCR, and to seek lasting solutions to their hardship.
The agreement will contribute to saving myriad children who had to flee their homes and families, some of whom have suffered or witnessed violence, in addition to the possible risk of abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, trafficking or military recruitment, due to living in an unfamiliar part of their country, especially in light of the absence of specialized child protection services by actors in the humanitarian aid field, and most importantly, the limited capacities of the relevant ministries in Nigeria, which hinders the effective response to protect children.
The agreement will focus on providing active interventions to protect children at risk of human trafficking or its victims, especially girls, in addition to supporting the activities of relevant government agencies to improve child protection services. The agreement will also train community structures on child protection and rights, organize inter-school competitions on child protection and rights in light of the Coronavirus pandemic, facilitate the adoption of the safe school concept for children as an extra support, provide entertainment and fun tools, support child-friendly activities in three safe and integrated spaces for women and girls, and provide material support for unaccompanied minors (clothing, bedding, shoes, etc.).
The agreement’s programs are expected to contribute to increasing the capacity duty-bearers to prevent and respond to cases of abuse, exploitation and violence against children, by holding meetings and dialogues for community participation with cultural, religious and community leaders on child protection, as well as training officials to confront and protect child trafficking, and organizing radio talk shows to educate the local community about the dangers of child trafficking or their disappearance, as well as training school teachers on child protection and rights.
