Poverty inducing parental care decline– Commissioner

Prof. Margaret Ene-Ita, Cross River State Commissioner for Social Welfare and Community Development, on Tuesday said many Nigerian children are growing up outside parental care due to poverty and other vulnerabilities.

She said this at the inauguration of the Cross River State Alternative Care Committee (SACC), in Calabar.

Supreme news reports that the alternative care policy aims to transition the care of vulnerable children from institutional settings to family-based alternatives, enabling care within the presence of parents, siblings, or extended family.

According to Ene-Ita, the policy provides a framework for prioritising family and community-based options such as kinship care, foster care, adoption, and guardianship, with institutional care being the last resort.

“The inauguration of this committee marks the beginning of a coordinated approach to ensure effective implementation of the policy in Cross River,” she said.

She added that the committee would be expected to provide technical guidance on alternative care programming, monitor compliance with the Child Rights Law (2023), and promote advocacy and awareness on family strengthening and alternative care.

Ene-Ita appreciated the support of the Child Protection Network (CPN), SOS Children’s Villages, and other partners, while calling for continued collaboration to provide quality care solutions tailored to the needs of vulnerable children.

Also speaking, Mrs Edema Irom, Commissioner for Women Affairs, said the state is building a team to strengthen child welfare and remove children from the streets, particularly those often referred to as “Skolombo.”

“No one of us can do this job alone.

“Everyone needs to bring their knowledge and experience, that is the only way we can move forward in helping these children, many of whom are currently on the streets without care,” she said.

Similarly, the Chief Judge of Cross River State, Justice Akon Ikpeme, represented by Justice Blessing Egwu, stated that the move was in line with the Child Rights Law of Cross River (2023).

She added that it also aligned with the newly adopted Cross River State Policy on Alternative Care for Children (2024).

Ikpeme emphasised that the judiciary, through the establishment of Family Courts, had ensured speedy access to justice for children and remained committed to playing its role in the alternative care system.

She stressed the importance of synergy among all stakeholders and urged the SACC to adhere strictly to regulations to protect and safeguard vulnerable children.

Mr James Ibor, Co-founder of the Basic Rights Council Initiative (BRCI) and a member of the committee, urged the state government to fully commit to the initiative.

“We can’t keep making laws and inaugurating committees without implementing them.

“We must ensure that alternative care activities were budgeted for, and that the funds were actually released,” Ibor said.

He added: “We need to persistently remind the governor because this is about the future of our children and the future of our state.”