The Women Affairs Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced plans to implement the pathfinding model as part of a comprehensive strategy to eradicate violence against children across the territory.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday at the sidelines of a two-day ministerial-level Regional Meeting of the Pathfinding Global Alliance on Ending Violence Against Children, the Mandate Secretary, Mrs Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to child protection.
The Pathfinding Global Alliance is a coalition of countries and stakeholders working together to eliminate all forms of violence against children by 2030, in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals. The alliance facilitates the sharing of knowledge, best practices, and collaborative efforts to achieve its mandate.
Acccording to Mrs Benjamins-Laniyi, the FCT Women Affairs Secretariat would soon establish the “FCT Community Network for Ending Violence Against Children.” She emphasised a multisectoral approach that will involve all relevant sectors and operate under a sound legal framework to ensure effective implementation of child protection initiatives.
She noted that this move aligns with the vision of the Nyesom Wike-led FCT Administration, which prioritises both infrastructural and human capital development.
“For the Nyesom Wike FCT, everything is a capital project. It’s not just about roads and buildings—it’s also about investing in women and children as part of the human capital project under the renewed hope agenda,” she said.
Describing the pathfinding model as an “economic model,” she stressed that investing in efforts to end violence against children would ultimately contribute to national economic prosperity by boosting human capital and the GDP.
Benjamins-Laniyi also highlighted the importance of enforcing the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP), which was domesticated in the FCT nearly a decade ago but has seen little implementation.
“May 23 marks 10 years since the domestication of the VAPP Act in the FCT, yet no meaningful implementation has taken place. We are determined to change this by ensuring full activation of the law to support the safe growth and development of children,” she said.
She added that the FCTA would engage children directly, treating them as key stakeholders whose ideas would inform the application of the pathfinding toolkit.
“This is not just a talk shop. We are taking real steps to evaluate the decade-long existence of the VAPP Act in the FCT and involve children in developing practical solutions through the toolkit,” she said.
She further emphasised the critical role of the family unit, especially mothers, in achieving child protection goals. “Neglecting mothers endangers the future of children. Our interventions must therefore support both the child and the family,” she added.
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At the meeting, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Violence Against Children, Dr Najat M’jid, officially launched the “Building the Investment Case for Ending Violence Against Children” toolkit.
Mr Simon Halvey, Senior Economist at Cornerstone Economic Research, explained that the toolkit is designed to help countries and stakeholders build strong investment cases for child protection by quantifying both the social and economic benefits.
“It enables countries to generate evidence showing that ending violence against children is not only a moral imperative but also an economically sound decision,” he said. “Investments in this area yield significant returns in terms of child outcomes and long-term economic growth.”
Mr Ásmundur Einar Daðason, a technical adviser to Dr M’jid and former Minister for Children and Education in Iceland, noted that the toolkit would also assist countries in allocating adequate budgetary resources toward child protection.
He said it was a vital step in addressing the funding gaps that have long hindered effective interventions to prevent violence against children.
