BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto
“Before judging people based on how they behaved, try to have a bit understanding of their background”, Barrister Adeboye Toyin Okikiola has admonished Nigerians.
Barrister Toyin, a Private legal practitioner and copartner, “Sort out City Law Chambers”,
spoke while delivering a paper at a 4 day training for social work force, auxillary social workers and community based surveillance committee in Sokoto said institutionalized homes or centers are certainly not the best for child upbringing.
The 4 Day training for Paralegal, Social Workforce, Auxillary Social Workers and Community Based Surveillance Committee is organized by the Sokoto chapter of the Legal Aids Council of Nigeria and with support from the EU-UNICEF Access To Justice For Children On The Move And Other Vulnerable Children Programme”
According to Toyin, no orphanage, remind homes, rehabilitation centers or care givers homes can ever give the desired family love and care, hence making such places a last resort alternative for ideal child upbringing.
Toyin speaking on, “Children In Institutionalized Centers” Wednesday added that there are lots of rights that involved children being violated daily in Nigeria and other countries of the world.
While noting that, institutionalized homes are those recognized places where a child is brought up aside the family, Barrister Toyin listed some of such places to include orphanage homes, remand homes, caregivers homes, rehabilitation homes, booster homes amongst numerous others.
She however lamented that these homes are really not the very best for any ideal child upbringing but become necessary as it helps in talking up children off the streets.
Continuing, Barrister Toyin said, absence of family and social relationship, self discovery and parental love for such children often have negative effects in their future lives as they tend to treat people with cruelty because they grew up in cruel lifestyles.
This she added was the reason why as a social worker, community based surveillance committee member, understanding the background of children will give you a bit idea of why and how they behave.
And to parents, Barrister Toyin advocated for them to allow their wards acquire skills alongside the compulsory education.
She therefore went on to mention some of the gains of children acquiring skills to include giving them multiple career options, enabling children master financial stability as well as aiding them become master critical thinkers.
For such children with skills, they also have strong reasoning and analytical prowess, helps them make difference, thus earn respect and prestige which makes them high in self esteem, creative mindsets, motivation and retention.
Speaking earlier in his welcome address, Sokoto State Coordinator of Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Barrister Shettima Akilahyel said the objective of the training is to enable participants know that everybody is a social worker in the demand for creating enabling environment for overall good growth of children.
