BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto –
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has said it is committed to positive parenting for all children as only that can promote care and love for their better upbringing.
Sokoto UNICEF office, Child Protection Specialist, Mr Pius Uwamanua, stated this on Wednesday during a 2-day training for stakeholders, mallams and owners of Qur’anic schools in the state.
The workshop was organized by the Sokoto State Arabic and Islamic Commission in collaboration with UNICEF and funded by the European Union.
Mr. Pius, who emphasized that all children must be shown love, care and concern, however, warned those capable of castigating the message and essence of positive parenting.
“We want our almajiri pupils and every other child to know what care and love means, especially from their parents, which was why the theme for the training is, “Child Protection and Child Safeguarding Policy'”, he said.
While noting that, the manual of the training will be translated into Huasa language for proper understanding for the stakeholders, Mr Pius admonished them to actively participate in the training towards achieving the desired objectives.
Speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary of Sokoto State Arabic and Islamic Commission, Ahmed Baba Alitine, said people should be able to know the difference between who is an Almajiri and those displaced by legions of reasons roaming about the streets for alms.
While calling on all and sundry, especially, the mallams and Qu’ranic teachers as well as parents to come together and help correct the negative narration about almajiri being beggars, Altine called for properly planing as a sure way to achieve that.
Speaking on, “Child Rights, Child Protection and Child Justice Administration, the facilitator, Prof Umar Alkali reminded participants of the contents of the 2021 Sokoto State Child Protection Law, which upholds parental guidance, protection, direction, reasonable supervision and control amongst others.
Prof Almali, further, noted that the Islamic law has adequate provisions for child protection ranging from those “captured in the Sunna (traditions of the prophet -SAW) and elaborated in the scholarly writings of Islamic jurists “.
He further said that the child’s rights also include, legal protection, non-legal measures, moral responsibility as well as emphasis on natural family and reciprocity of rights and duties.
“”By combining the influences of law, religion and ethics, Islamic law is able to put forward a multi-dimensional approach covering the total personality of the child “, Prof Alkali submitted.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Director in the Arabic Commission and UNICEF’s Focal Person, Malam Abubakar Alhaji, informed that the training had 99 participants drawn from 8 local government areas of the Sokoto State.
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