A Group of Civil Society Organisations on Monday described the present situation and circumstances of youths at the Internally Displaced Persons camps across the country as hopeless and worrisome.
Gender and Environmental Risk Reduction Initiative and Climate and Sustainable Development Network told the News Agency of Nigeria in an interview in Abuja.
The CSOs, who were reacting to the 2018 United Nations International Youth Day celebrated yearly on August 12, said the youths at IDPs should feel safe and be motivated to hope for a return to their original homes.
According to Elizabeth Jeyiol, the Executive Director of GERI, ‘the present situation and circumstances of youths at IDP camps is discouraging.
Jeyiol said: “They seem to have been forgotten by the large society with their voices lost in the never ending search for an intervention to the crisis, so we must give them hope.
“We should not just be marking the day without given the youths at the IDP camps hope and sense of belonging.
“We, GERI have decided to mark this year’s youth day with young people at the Abagena Makurdi IDPs Camp.”
Jeyiol said that there was the need to always remember youths in distress during special days.
He said: “There is also need to mark special days with them and talk about safe spaces for youths, because, we are aware that the camp is not the safest place for them right now.
“We also need to share ideas and learn from them about how to create safe spaces for youths and how it affects our society generally: doing this affords us the opportunity to amplify their voices.”
Atayi Babs, CSDevNet’s National Network Coordinator, called for youth’s involvement in development.
Babs said that goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals specifically, emphasised the need for the provision of space towards inclusive and sustainable urbanisation and youths should not be left out.”
He said: “The New Urban Agenda reiterates the need for public spaces for youth to enable them interact with family and have constructive inter-generational dialogue.
“As more and more youths grow in the technology world connection, they will aspire to engage deeper in political, civic and social matters.
“The availability and accessibility of safe spaces becomes even more crucial to make this a reality hence the need to assure these young ones, especially, those in the IDP camps that they will not be left behind.”
John Orsar, a youth and an applicant, also told NAN that the responsibility of creating safe space hinges on youth themselves.
Orsar said: “If youths can mobilise themselves and have a common voice which says, enough is enough; they will take over from the old leaders, who are refusing to retire.”
The CSOs, however, agreed that although government and other stakeholders have roles to play, creating safe spaces for youths begins from the youths themselves by getting involved in their own lives.
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