No fewer than 8,000 vulnerable children, most of them labelled as “child witches” and thrown out of their homes by parents and guardians have been rehabilitated and reunited with their families by the Child’s Rights Rehabilitation Network (CRARN) in Eket local government area of Akwa Ibom State.
This came into the open at the weekend when CTARN presented its achievements between 2003 and 2023.
Grow your business with us
The president/chief executive officer of the centre, Mr Sam Itauma made the disclosure while briefing journalists as part of activities to mark the 20th anniversary celebration of the centre in Eket, yesterday.
He said, “The centre had rehabilitated, reconciled, re-integrated and reunited a lots of vulnerable children back to the society,” lamenting that “a situation where the vulnerable children are labelled child witches, and wizards, stigmatised and evicted from homes should be condemned and such parents or guardians investigated and prosecuted.”
“Our efforts have rehabilitated and provided supports for more than 8,000 vulnerable children, who have either accessed support from us or rescued by our CRARN facility,” he said.
According to him, about 15 vulnerable children had since graduated from tertiary institutions, including 20 from College of Education and 25 vulnerable children currently at various stages in some institutions in the state.
Itauma said he had been able to put six structures at the centre including a school – CRARN Academy, and solicited for support from good spirited individuals, companies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) “to better the lots of the vulnerable in the society.” He commended the efforts of the Department of State Services (DSS), and other security agencies “for being instrumental to the protection of the vulnerable children in the state.”
Itauma listed the challenges facing the children to include sexual abuses, torture and other forms of indignities, adding that education of the dejected young ones remains the fulcrum of his reform programmes at the centre, and solicited for more assistance from the civil society organisations and governments at all levels.