A Call for Renewed Commitment to Protect Our Children By Kebe Ikpi

The recent reshuffle of the Cross River State Executive Council by His Excellency, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, and the scheduled meeting with the newly constituted EXCO today, represent timely and purposeful leadership. In appointing new commissioners and realigning portfolios, the Governor has demonstrated responsiveness to the demands of governance and a clear intent to inject fresh energy into the machinery of state.  

We at the Child Protection Network Nigeria, Cross River State Chapter, commend this decisive action. Effective leadership is not only about political recalibration; it is about creating the conditions for every sector, especially those that safeguard the most vulnerable, to deliver results. However, leadership must be measured by the priority it accords to those who cannot vote or lobby for themselves - our children.  

Violence Against Children remains one of the most urgent and under-addressed challenges facing Nigeria and Cross River State. According to the 2014 Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey (VACS):  

- Approximately six out of every ten Nigerian children experience some form of violence before the age of 18.  

- Half of all children experience physical violence.  

- One in four  girls and one in ten boys experience sexual violence.  

- One in six girls and one in five boys experience emotional violence from a parent, caregiver or adult relative.  

These national figures are echoed in Cross River State. Available data and programme reports highlight concerning levels of physical violence, sexual exploitation, child marriage, female genital mutilation, and the growing phenomenon of children living and working on the streets, particularly in urban centres such as Calabar. 317 children are in street situation in Calabar, according to a 2018 study. Studies and assessments have also consistently noted that child-focused Ministries, Departments and Agencies remain underfunded, that Local Government Child Rights Implementation Committees (LCRIC) are incomplete or inactive in many areas due to lack of support from the Local Government Areas, and that case management systems lack the resources needed for timely investigation, psychosocial support, and follow-up.  

The consequences of failing to protect children today are both profound and costly. Children who experience violence are more likely to suffer lifelong mental health challenges, drop out of school, struggle with substance abuse, and become trapped in cycles of poverty and further violence - often as both survivors and later as perpetrators. This intergenerational transmission of harm weakens families and communities. 

Cross River State, despite recording one of the lower out-of-school rates nationally at approximately 7.6 per cent among children aged 6–15, still has a significant number of children outside the classroom - a figure that has been estimated in excess of 140,000 in recent years. These out-of-school children are especially vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and recruitment into harmful activities.

For the State, the financial burden is substantial: increased expenditure on healthcare for trauma and chronic conditions, higher demands on the justice and correctional systems, expanded social welfare needs, and significant losses in human capital and economic productivity as a generation fails to reach its full potential. These preventable costs divert scarce public resources away from development priorities and ultimately slow the progress of Cross River State itself.

The Cross River State Child Rights Law (2023 as amended) provides a strong legal foundation. The State Child Rights Implementation Committee (SCRIC) is the statutory body, provided for by the Law, Inaugurated in 2024 and charged with coordinating its full implementation. Yet coordination without dedicated and sustained funding remains an empty promise.  

We therefore respectfully call on His Excellency the Governor and the newly constituted Executive Council to demonstrate concrete commitment to ending Violence Against Children by:  

1. Making clear, adequate, and ring-fenced budgetary provision and releases for the State Child Rights Implementation Committee (SCRIC) and for critical child protection functions across relevant MDAs - including the Ministries of Women Affairs, Social Welfare and Community Development, Justice, Education, Health, Centre for Citizens Rights and Office of the Public Defender (CCROPD) and Local Government.  

2. Allocating specific resources for case management systems, including training of social workers, documentation tools, referral pathways, and support services for child survivors.  

3. Providing robust institutional and financial support for the investigation and prosecution of all persons who violate the rights of children - without regard to status, position, or influence. 

No one who harms a child should be above the law.  

Children who experience violence carry the scars into adulthood, with lifelong consequences for mental health, education, productivity, and the intergenerational cycle of abuse. Conversely, every naira invested in prevention, response, and justice yields dividends in safer communities, stronger human capital, and a more just society.  

The reshuffle of the Executive Council offers a fresh opportunity. We urge the Governor and the new EXCO to seize this moment by placing the protection of children at the heart of governance. The Child Protection Network stands ready to partner with the State Government, traditional and religious leaders, civil society, and communities to translate policy into protection and laws into lived safety for every child in Cross River State.  

Let's make Cross River State a State, indeed, fit for a child.

Kebe Ikpi  

State Coordinator  

Child Protection Network (CPN) Nigeria  

Cross River State Chapter