A total of 894
children, including 106 girls, were released from the ranks of the
Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Maiduguri, north-east Nigeria today,
as part of its commitment to end
and prevent the recruitment and use of children, reports NaijaAgroNet.
The CJTF is a local
militia that helps the Nigerian security forces in the fight against
insurgency in north-east Nigeria. It was formed in 2013, with the aim of
protecting communities from attack.
“Any
commitment for children that is matched with action is a step in the
right direction for the protection of children’s rights and must be
recognised and encouraged,”
said Mohamed Fall, Representative of UNICEF in Nigeria and the
Co-chair of United Nations Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting on Grave Child Rights Violations (CTFMR).
“Children
of north-east Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict. They have
been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and
witnessed death, killing
and violence. This participation in the conflict has had serious
implications for their physical and emotional well-being."
Since
September 2017, when the CJTF signed an action plan committing to put
measures in place to end and prevent recruitment and use of children,
1,727 children and young
people have been released. Since then, there has been no new
recruitment of children by the CJTF.
The
children and young people released today will benefit from
reintegration programmes to help them return to civilian life, seize new
opportunities for their own development,
and contribute to bringing lasting peace in Nigeria, as productive
citizens of their country. Without this support, many of the children
released from armed groups struggle to fit into civilian life, as most
are not educated and have no vocational skills.
In
the ongoing armed conflict in north-east Nigeria, more than 3,500
children were recruited and used by non-state armed groups between 2013
and 2017. Others have been
abducted, maimed, raped and killed.
“We
cannot give up the fight for the children, as long as children are
still affected by the fighting. We will continue until there is no child
left in the ranks of all
armed groups in Nigeria,” said Fall.
UNICEF continues to work closely with
state authorities and
partners to support the implementation of reintegration programmes for
all children released from armed groups, as well as others affected by
the ongoing conflict. The
gender and age-appropriate community-based reintegration support
interventions include an initial assessment of their well-being,
psychosocial support, education, vocational training, informal apprenticeships, and opportunities to improve livelihoods.
Uboshe Uboshe/Editor
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