Chinedum Treasure
First female Professor of Mass Communication in Sub-Saharan Africa, Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna has advocated for full domestication of Child Rights Act by state governments to protect children from gross abuses and denial of access to digital space.s
She regretted that about 2.2 billion children lack access to internet globally, especially third world countries, urging the media to join forces in sensitising parents and other stakeholders towards providing children access to the internet.
Okunna spoke while delivering paper titled, “The Role of the Nigerian Media in bridging the urban-rural divide for Children in Digital Age” at the ‘Maiden National Summit on Child Rights’, organized by Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Okunna, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Paul University, Awka underscored importance of various state government, especially the Northern states, to consider the Childrens’ right Act to protect children against molestation.
She lamented that none domestication of the Child Right Act had contributed largely to crimes against children, including child trafficking, hawking, under aged girls’ marriage, domestic violence, maids, rape and kidnapping.
She said, “The advent of the social media especially the digital media, has improved as well as fastened the disemination and sharing of information about world events, which reaches millions of children people globally.
“Nigerians are waiting for more states to domesticate the Child Rights Act. when domesticated, the Act would go a long way in curbing child kidnappings, rape, child slavery, hawking and domestic violence among other abuses.
“Children must be allowed access to digital information, …Donor Agencies should provide every necessary tools needed to reach the rural children, skills and knowledge.
“Digital technology offers more opportunities and possibilities for children to interact, improve and acquire knowledge about developments in the outside world.
“Media technology has transformed greatly in the past 7 years, with much advancement in global North including, Europe, America, Canada and Asia, where China has moved beyond the third world.”
Earlier, Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof Carol Arinze-Umobi said the summit was targeted at exploring various approaches towards taking sustainable positive actions to mitigate the negative impacts of digital information age, while optimizing its benefits for the Nigerian child.
The VC, represented by Director of Academic Planning, Prof. Angela Ufele Obiesie said, “today’s concern on Child Rights sprouted from the aversion of the vulnerabilities to which Children were exposed to in Europe during the second World War adding, they included, abduction,rape/sexual violence and recruitment into the Armed forces etc.
“Prompted by the concerns of these abuses, the United Nations focused on the protection, health and general welfare of Children…thus was the International Children Emergency Fund (ICEF) created by United Nations Relief Rehabilitation Administration to cater for the affected Children.”
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