A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Women and Child Watch Initiatives, said it would partner with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Kwara to take vulnerable children off the streets.

The Chairperson of the organisation, Dr Biola Adimula, made this known at a news conference on Thursday in Ilorin. Adimula said the partnership was aimed at rehabilitating and empowering such children to make them become good citizens in the society.

She added that the partnership was a humanitarian service that required collaborative efforts of well meaning individuals, corporate organisations and government in order to provide formal education and vocational skills for the children.

She noted that the NGO performed tripartite duties for both women and children, including free legal services to women facing domestic violence and counseling, organising spelling competitions to improve academic performance among children and provision of free eye services to indigent students.

She cautioned against violence against women, sexually abuse of girl-child and violation of child rights in the country.

The chairperson, who is a lecturer at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, identified sufferings and infliction of pains on women and children as violence against women and violation of child's right.

She described physical and verbal attacks as violence against women, pointing out that it could be derogatory statement, economic, financial, psychological or emotional violence.

According to her, using children for absurd works, sexual abuse against girl child and using girl child within the age gap of 14 to 15 for marriage are against the Child Rights Law which stipulates that no child is expected to be given out in marriage, especially when she is not 18 years old.

Adimula described the duties of nurturing a child morally and instilling religious injunctions on them as an all-encompassing responsibility of government, parents and teachers for the country to have well trained future leaders. (NAN)