The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on all stakeholders to ensure the protection of displaced children and women sheltering in Gombe camp from abuse and being trafficked.
Dr Joseph Wanshe, the Gombe State Coordinator of the commission, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Thursday in Gombe.
NAN reports that following the attack by bandits on Gwana, Digare, Mansur, and Yalo villages of Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State, over 7,000 persons were displaced and were now sheltering in Kashere town in Gombe State.
“Nearly 4,000 of the number are children, representing about 57 per cent of the total displaced persons at the camp.
“Therefore, collective action is necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of all children in the camp,” the coordinator said.
Wanshe said children were most vulnerable and were exposed to the risk of rights violation, trafficking, sexual abuse, lack of access to education, and molestation.
He stressed the need for stakeholders to work together to prevent the violation of the rights of children and women, while ensuring their welfare and dignity were prioritised.
“These children are vulnerable to abuse, trafficking, violence, and malnutrition, based on the report we have gathered when we visited.
“The women and children are faced with the risk of sexual abuse, child molestation, forced labour, poor sanitation, which exposes them to infectious diseases, poor medical facilities, and poor feeding, which exposes them to malnutrition,” he said.
According to him, there is a need to increase facilities, especially toilets, to curb open defecation and prevent disease outbreaks, which could affect children’s health adversely.
“Also, women need separate facilities for their privacy, especially when bathing and sleeping, and when some of these are put in place, they would reduce their vulnerability to abuse.
“We observed that the vulnerability of children to abuse of any kind is very high, and that’s why there is a need to work collectively to tackle the nutritional crisis and epidemic risk,” he said.
Wanshe said his commission had been engaging critical stakeholders and strictly monitoring events at the camp to ensure the protection of the rights of all displaced persons, particularly children and women.
He urged residents at the camp and members of the host community to always report human rights violations, adding that such reporting was necessary in the fight against sexual abuse and other vices against children.
The coordinator commended the governments of Gombe and Bauchi States for their constant support, which he said was timely.
“To UNICEF, thank you for carrying out lots of health, education, and hygiene-focused interventions towards protecting the welfare and well-being of children in the camp,” he added.
