The Delta State Government said it would no longer tolerate street begging and child hawking during school hours. It stated that the state government would embark on a raid where it would apprehend culprits in the New Year.

The Chairman of the State Child’s Rights Implementation Committee, and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, Kevwe Agas stated at a press conference in Asaba.

Agas asserted that the state government had done everything required to sensitise the public. She said the state had embarked on advocacy visits and media campaigns since the inauguration of the committee, about two years ago.

“The agency is now convinced that the time has come to commence enforcement of the law,” the committee chairman said.

She declared, “This press briefing is to let the world know that the Child’s Rights Implementation Committee is in existence and committed to implementing the Child Rights Law going forward. We intend to prosecute those abusing our children and ensure that the rights of the children are enshrined and dispensed without discrimination.

“We have a challenge in carrying out our assignment and it is the challenge of children roaming the streets, especially during school hours. In our engagement, we discovered that most of these children are not from the State. The challenge is therefore how to get them back to their respective states. We also intend to cascade the activities of the Committee to the grassroots by inaugurating the Local Government Child Rights Implementation Committees.

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“The Governor, Senator, Ifeanyi Okowa had said that every child must be in school and that every action relating to children must be backed by law. This Committee, empowered by law, therefore, is committed to the enforcement of the law as regarding Child Protection and Child Rights in the best interest of our Delta children”.

Agas further told journalists that it has handled a number of cases of child abuse, she disclosed that the agency succeded in bringing justice to bear on some cases, while others remain in various stages of litigation in court.

The Chairman recalled the case of a police officer’s wife who was jailed two years, the case of the 14-year-old girl who was gang-raped by some culprits,
and a child trafficking and prostitution case, which involved the rescue of the victim, Favour Enefiok.

On the molestation to death of Sylvester Oromoni Jnr, the committee chairman said that the Committee had commenced processes to establish liaison with her Lagos State counterpart, to ensure that justice is served.