By Aishat Ibrahim
The United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF), on Thursday, said the Federal Government loses $8.9 billion annually to violence against children and other harmful practices inflicted of females.
The agency’s Chief Child Protection Officer, Ibrahim Sese, stated this in Abuja, during the official launch and dissemination of “The state of the Nigerian girl report: The diagnosis of child marriage and girls education in Nigeria.”
He said, “When you look at the violence against children and the economic burden on violence, Nigeria is losing $8.9billion yearly as a result of violence against children including issues regarding child marriage.”
Sese further advised the Federal Government and stakeholders to strengthen mechanisms that would protect children from any form of abuse and harmful practices.
Meanwhile, the Country Director, Save The Children International Nigeria, Mercy Gichuhi, said the report produced the organisation from its project “Towards ending child marriage in Katsina and Gombe States” exposed the state of the Nigerian girl child at the national level.
