We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned by the high rates of child abandonment, torture and killings due to the widely held belief in child "witches" in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
We believe that all children have the right to be protected from being hurt or mistreated, either phyically or mentally, and that it is the role of the Government to ensure this. As such we declare our full support for the key demands of the Prevent Abandonment of Children Today (PACT) campaign. These are as follows:
1 That the Nigerian federal government enact legislation making it illegal for children to be branded as 'witches'
2 That the Akwa Ibom State Government work with all stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan of action to protect and save the lives of children branded as 'witches'
3 The Akwa Ibom State Government should begin to regulate the activities of churches known to be violating the rights of children
4 The Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) should ban all home videos that promote superstitious beliefs and lead to the stigmatisation of children as "witches"
We call upon the Nigerian Federal Government, the Akwa Ibom State Government and the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to do everything in their powers to protect and save the lives of these innocent children. The eyes of the world are watching . Turning a blind eye to this needless suffering is not an option. Please act now.
NEWSFLASH - Akwa Ibom State Government Meets Previous Key Demand of PACT Campaign and Enacts Child Rights Act in Akwa Ibom State!!! We acknowledge and appreciate the support of the Akwa Ibom State Government for the PACT Campaign and sincerely hope that they may offer further financial and institutional support for the campaign in the months to come.
For more information on the two organisations that launched and promote the PACT campaign in Akwa Ibom State please see the following websites:
www.steppingstonesnigeria.org
www.crarn.org
Please do also join the FaceBook Group - Help the Child Witches of Nigeria
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9476440119&ref=ts
Thank you so much for your support!
We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned by the high rates of child abandonment, torture and killings due to the widely held belief in child "witches" in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
We believe that all children have the right to be protected from being hurt or mistreated, either phyically, emotionally, spiritually or psychologically and that it is the role of the Government to ensure this. As such we declare our full support for the key demands of the Prevent Abandonment of Children Today (PACT) campaign. These are as follows:
1 That the Nigerian Federal government enacts legislation making it illegal for children to be branded as 'witches'.
2 That the Akwa Ibom State Government work with all stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan of action to protect and save the lives of children branded as 'witches'.
3 The Akwa Ibom State Government should regulate the activities of churches known to be violating the rights of children including making arrests and closing down those churches where this abuse is taking place.
4 The Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) should ban all home videos that promote superstitious beliefs and lead to the stigmatisation of children as "witches".
We recognise and appreciate that the Akwa Ibom government has made great strides in improving the situation for children accused of witchcraft by enacting the Child Rights Act and making it illegal to stigmatise children as witches. However, we recognise there is still much work to be done.
We call upon the Nigerian Federal Government, the Akwa Ibom State Government and the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to do everything in their power to protect and save the lives of these innocent children. The eyes of the world are watching . Turning a blind eye to this needless suffering is not an option. Please act now.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and petition-we ask you to take note of the huge numbers of people who are concerned about this issue and urge you to take the necessary action to prevent further abuse of innocent children.
Yours Faithfully,
