Child Protection Law: KANET, AMG Foundation Collaborate to Empower Street Children
By Mustapha Salisu
As part of efforts to commemorate 2024 International Children’s Day, Kano Network of NGOs (KANET) organized a Child Protection Conference in collaboration with AMG Foundation.
The conference, held at AHBN office, focused on ensuring the implementation of the Child Protection Law (2023) towards addressing the issue of street-connected children in Kano.
Dr. Musa Abdullahi Sufi, the Founder and Chairman of KANET, in his keynote address, emphasized the importance of collective efforts to support these children, urging stakeholders to shift their focus from blaming parents to taking individual responsibility.
He stressed the need to understand their plight and work towards empowering them through policy implementation.
“So that at the end of the day, you won’t blame their parents for abandoning them but rather what can you do as an individual to support their lives so that they can see their values and become agents of what we want them to be” Sufi added.
Barr. Nura Ahmad Muhammad, the Secretary Steering Committee of KANET, expressed concern about the large number of street-connected children roaming the streets of Kano State, which he described as very disturbing.
He highlighted the need for education, strengthening the tsangaya system, and parental responsibility to address the problem.
Nura who sees collaboration as very important, expressed satisfaction with commitments of stakeholders, government representative, civil society organizations and other donor partners towards pressing for Implementation of Child Protection Law (2023).
On his part, the Director of Operations at Aminu Magashi Garba (AMG) Foundation, Suleiman Jalo, emphasized the importance of localized strategies for engaging community gatekeepers in policy implementation.
He assured that AMG is committed to supporting civil society organizations (CSOs) willing to pursue the implementation of the Child Protection Law in Kano State.
The conference featured remarks from representatives of sister NGOs, a panel session, group discussions, and commitments from stakeholders who shared their experiences, challenges, and best practices in addressing the issue of street-connected children.
