LASG HOLDS REVIEW ON CHILD SAFEGUARDING, PROTECTION IN SCHOOLS

The Lagos State Government has assured of its readiness to eradicate any form of impediments that can prevent children from enjoying adequate safeguarding and protection in schools across the State.

The Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), in partnership with relevant stakeholders, met recently to address the current situation in line with the State’s principles of Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.

Speaking at a Review of the Joint Visitation Exercise of the Lagos State Task Force on Child Safeguarding and Protection held in Ikeja, the Executive Secretary of  DSVA, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi said the meeting was convened to review the report that was conducted last year to ascertain the level of compliance of the Policy of Safeguarding and Child Protection in Schools.

Vivour-Adeniyi maintained that besides the review, the meeting would enable them to chart a course for improvement on how to scale up the safety of children in schools, stressing that the earlier visit to some schools in the state availed them the opportunity to know the level of exposure of some schools to safety measures.

She said, “The entire framework of safeguarding and Child Protection is what the Lagos State Joint Task Force on Safeguarding and Child Protection is committed to, hence we thought it was expedient to visit these schools and ascertain the level of compliance. For three months, the Lagos State Task Force on Child Safeguarding and Protection which comprises top-level representatives of MDAs and organisations, was able to engage 601 schools from the six education District”.

The Executive Secretary disclosed further that out of the schools visited, 145 of the schools have adopted the safeguarding and protection policy. However, there were some areas that we need to assist the schools in improving to ensure the safety of children at schools in Lagos state.

She acknowledged the efforts of the State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu as well as the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat for their commitment to ensuring that the letters of the safeguarding and child protection policy come alive and the policy is fully implemented.

“We are looking at empowering those officers, to build their capacity so that they could be able to detect red flags, detect child change in behaviours, more importantly, to be able to know the referral part to be adopted once such disclosures are made, either to them directly or indirectly”, she added.

The Tutor-General and Permanent Secretary, District III, Dr. Funke Idowu Oyetola lauded the efforts of all the members of the Lagos State Task Force on Child Safeguarding and Protection, adding that their continuous efforts in ensuring the safety of children in schools in the State is commendable. She encouraged the members of the task force to continue to ensure the right strategies and the right environment for studies are always put in place for the children in schools.

In her Goodwill message, the Permanent Secretary,  Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Pharm (Mrs.) Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu called for more cooperation of stakeholders with the government to ensure the safety of the school children.

The Permanent Secretary, who was represented by Director, School Social Work Services, Mrs. Mujedat Oladipo, said the meeting would allow the relevant MDAs to identify the problems observed during the school engagements and proffer solutions and recommendations.

“This will ensure that all the observed gaps are corrected and ensure that the schools that are not in line with the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy are made to comply through adequate sensitisation and education for the well-being and all the school children in Lagos State”, she added.

Others at the meeting called for specialised training for Guidance Councillors as well as ensuring continuous sensitisation of the communities, and parents on sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Child Abuse and all its effects, among others.