CCN wants end to child trafficking, violence against children

President of CCN, Rev. Benbo Fubara-Manuel, made the call, yesterday, in Calabar, Cross River State, while briefing newsmen to commence the one-week of sensitisation on ending violence against children in all forms.Fubara-Manuel’s address, which was read by Rev. Ubong Eyo, Secretary of CNN in Cross River State, said the call became necessary because children cannot speak for themselves, hence theneed to protect them.He said CCN was embarking on the week sensitisation in collaboration with the United Nations International Emergency Fund, with the financial support of the United State Agency forInternational Development.According to him, the children are often relegated to the background of the list of priorities of government and religious communities, partly because children cannot speak for themselves.His words : “We regret this as Christians and affirm, rather, that care for children is no more addition to our creeds, but isan essential part of our being and calling as the people of God.“We are, therefore, not satisfied only with providing Sunday School spaces for our children and giving teachers to them, but we are committed to promoting practices and establishing institutions that will allow them flourish in all ways.”“We commit together to end violence against children in all form. By this, we reject child neglect, child exploitation, child abuse, child trafficking and all shades and colours of violence against children.“We name violence against children as a real evil confronting all communities in our country today. It is not an evil that happens far away from us but right under our noses as parents, family members, religious people, and traditional and political leaders,” he stated.