NHRC decries increased cases of child abandonment in Gombe

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed concerns over increasing cases of child abandonment in Gombe state.

The Public Relations Officer of NHRC  Gombe state unit, Ali Alola-Alfinti, expressed the worry in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe Monday.

Alola-Alfinti said the cases of abuse against children including child abandonment recorded by the commission in the state were alarming.

According to him, from January 2023 to June 2023, no less than 130 cases of human rights violations were received by the commission in the state.

He said, of the130 cases of reported human rights violations, 48 were cases of child abandonment, representing 36.9 per cent of violations reported in six months.

According to him, the rate at which children were being  abandoned was disturbing and required urgent attention of all stakeholders in the state.

“The increasing cases of child abandonment have become a cause for concern for the commission.

ALSO READ:

• Kogi files appeal against removal of Ohinoyi by Lokoja High Court
• Man, 22, docked for allegedly threatening to kill three people
• Anambra 2025: Labour Party sets date for guber primaries
• FG, NLC signs MoU over planned 50% telecom tariff hike
• 17,000 jostle for 2,500 Abia teaching jobs

“Child abandonment is a violation of human rights; when you abandon a child who cannot take care of himself or herself, they are left at the mercy of anyone and that situation is better imagined than to be  experienced.”

“We noticed that poverty and lack of commitment and care from fathers are major reasons for child abandonment in the State.

“It is not right to have children and not cater for their needs as parents.

“We are appealing to stakeholders to tackle this problem in the interest of our children,” he said.

Alola-Alfinti said many parents claimed ignorance of the rights of the children as enshrined in the constitution which includes the right to education, welfare and well-being.

In tackling the menace, he said the commission embarked on sensitisation of key stakeholders to the dangers and consequences of child abandonment.

He urged stakeholders to carry out more sensitisation programmes to discourage the trend in view of its psychological impact on children