Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Tosin Omoniyi
Published on 2024-03-28 09:52:42
In collaboration with the Gender Adolescent School Health and Elderly Care (GASHE) division of the Family Health Department of the Federal Ministry of Health, a workshop was convened in Abuja by the Parenting for Lifelong Health and the Global Parenting Initiative at the University of Oxford. The aim of the workshop was to enhance parenting support interventions in Nigeria.
Funded by the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children (GPEVAC) through the Government of Japan, the project is focused on helping pathfinding countries like Nigeria enhance their national infrastructure to provide and scale evidence-based parenting programs that prevent violence against children. The workshop brought together various stakeholders to address critical issues surrounding parenting in the country.
The Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, delivered remarks at the workshop emphasizing the crucial role of responsible parenting in shaping the future of Nigerian children. He highlighted challenges such as absentee parenting and the influence of foreign media on children’s development. Plans for collaborative efforts between NOA and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to regulate television content and promote locally produced cartoons were outlined.
To address these issues, NOA is engaging with cartoon creators to ensure that the content children watch reflects Nigerian culture, values, and diversity. Initiatives like Citizens Brigades in primary and secondary schools are being established to instill positive values in Nigerian children from a young age.
The workshop, titled “Scaling Positive Parenting to Reduce Violence against Children in Sub-Saharan Africa in the Context of the Triple Threat of COVID-19, Conflict, and Climate Crisis,” attracted participants from various ministries, UN agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Isang Awah led the presentation on the urgent need for responsive parenting interventions in Nigeria, focusing on the state of parenting support interventions in the country.
The workshop aimed to capture details of existing parenting support interventions in Nigeria and identify areas for improvement and scale-up. The findings from a situational analysis were shared to demonstrate the current landscape of parenting programs in the country. The workshop also advocated for support for all parents and caregivers to raise children effectively.
Recommendations from the workshop emphasized the need to strengthen existing programs, support implementers, introduce a policy on parenting, and integrate parenting support into existing federal ministry services. The impact of economic decline, conflict, and natural disasters on families was highlighted, along with the importance of supporting families affected by humanitarian crises.
A robust discussion followed the presentations, facilitated by key policymakers and stakeholders in relevant ministries and organizations. The focus was on the necessity of a national parenting policy and the importance of effective interventions to support parents. The workshop concluded with a consensus on concrete steps to develop a comprehensive parenting policy in Nigeria, marking a significant milestone in advancing family support nationwide.
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