NHRC set to tackle child abandonment in Nasarawa

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Nasarawa State says it is collaborating with the state government to deduct a percentage from salaries of parents that abandon children.

NHRC Coordinator for the state, Chia Nor, said on Tuesday in Lafia, that the commission would strategise on ways to address some of the key human rights issues.

He said that the move has become imperative because complaints of abandoned children in Nasarawa state have been on the increase with 34 complaints in 2019.

“We are still in discussion with other arm of government to embrace the idea so that the welfare of those affected, especially children, will not become a challenge,’’ he said.

Also, Nor observed that the rate of rape is on the increase, noting that the fear of stigmatisation on the part of the victims is a major challenge in securing justice for them.

“It is unfortunate that some of our agent’s compromise while handling rape cases and so there must be attitudinal change for us to make progress in this regard,’’ he said.

He advised the people of the state to always respect each others’ opinion to minimise conflict and sustain peace in the state, but however, expressed displeasure on the effects of conflicts among parents on the children that can result in abandonment.

He also called on law enforcement agencies to be more proactive in handling rape cases and called for their training and retraining so that they could handle rape cases. (NAN)