Step up child protection efforts UNICEF urges Nigeria, on 10th anniversary of Chibok abductions
Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Monday called on Nigeria to intensify child protection efforts, 10 years on from the mass Chibok abductions in the country’s northeast.
Some 90 of the girls continue to be held captive, and just last month, another abduction of schoolchildren took place in Kaduna state, a UN statement said.
UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Mundate, said the “kidnapping of the Chibok girls was a wake-up call to the severe risks our children face in their pursuit of education”. With even more recent abductions, she said there is an obvious need for amplified safeguarding of our children's futures.
On Monday, UNICEF released the ‘Minimum Standards for Safe Schools (MSSS) Monitoring Report', which revealed that only 37 per cent of schools across 10 Nigerian states have early warning systems that can assist in identifying attacks.
This means much remains to be done to ensure Nigerian children can learn in a safe school environment.
“Given these alarming statistics, we must address not only the symptoms but also the root causes of this crisis. Education is a fundamental right and a crucial pathway out of poverty. Yet, for too many Nigerian children, it remains an unattainable dream,” Ms. Mundane said.
UNICEF’s analysis examined six areas of concern across Nigerian states relating to school safety – a strong school system, violence against children, natural hazards, conflict, everyday hazards, and safe school infrastructure – and found that only a few had managed to boost standards.
UNICEF Nigeria is urging governments, partners, and international communities to help secure the right to education in a safe environment for all children.
Thus far, the agency has provided school grants, safety kits, training, and awareness raising to boost the implementation of school safety standards.
UNICEF says this ‘sombre anniversary’ of the Chibok abduction should prompt change so that together, “we can restore trust between educational institutions and the communities they serve, ensuring schools are sanctuaries for learning and growth”.
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