The two-day regional meeting of Pathfinder African Countries on the Global Alliance to End Violence Against Children began in Abuja on Wednesday with the federal government restating its commitment to ending violence against children, women and vulnerable groups.
Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, highlighted Nigeria’s progress since the Ministerial Conference in Bogotá, Colombia, in November 2024, where the country pledged to eliminate harmful practices in at least 18 states by 2028.
She said Nigeria is reviewing and enforcing the Child Rights Act of 2003 and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act to strengthen protection mechanisms.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim noted that under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria is taking real action by reforming legal frameworks, scaling up the Safe Schools Programme, expanding parenting interventions, and increasing budgetary allocations to child protection systems.
The minister explained that the country is integrating child protection into key national priorities such as climate resilience, education, digital safety, and social protection.
According to the minister, Nigeria is reviewing its national child policy framework and implementing the National Strategy and Costed Action Plan to End Child Marriage to ensure more inclusive, accountable, and data-driven action.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim commended the Pathfinder Initiative and partners, especially UNICEF, for their steadfast support.
She acknowledged the efforts of governments and stakeholders across the represented countries for their commitment to child protection.
The minister urged participants to go beyond policy declarations to deliver measurable, time-bound results, stressing the need to adequately resource child protection systems.
“No child, anywhere on this continent, should be invisible to the law or forgotten by policy,” Sulaiman-Ibrahim said.
