Posted by The Guardian on
The Ekiti State Government recently passed a law, already assented to by Governor Ayo Fayose, known as Child Rights Law in which it sought to protect the rights of children in the state from all forms of exploitation....
The Ekiti State Government recently passed a law, already assented to by Governor Ayo Fayose, known as Child Rights Law in which it sought to protect the rights of children in the state from all forms of exploitation including hawking on the streets, not going to school and other privations routinely taken for granted by parents in Ekiti State. By this law all children in Ekiti State must avail themselves of free and compulsory education for the first nine years of school. The law also forbids all forms of tattoos and tribal marks on children of the state. Parents who violate this law are to spend one month in prison or pay N5,000 in lieu.
Governor Fayose, who expressed the resolve of his administration to implement various provisions of the law in the interest of children and their parents, ordered the immediate setting up of a committee to ensure the full implementation of the Child Rights Law.
Stressing that the future of the Nigerian child must not be toyed with, he said every effort must be made to guarantee a secure future for children and the protection of their rights. He noted that the implementation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme, which guarantees nine years of free formal education, is one of the steps being taken by the government to prepare today's youths for the future, adding that children and youths must desist from social vices such as cult activities and robbery.
The general tone and flavour of the law is to be commended as many children all over Nigeria are routinely subjected to a life of hardship which often stultifies their development. Surely whatever measures that can be taken to prevent abuse must be a step in the right direction. However, in the matter of tattoos and tribal marks, we should point out that tattoo as a tool of beautification is not necessarily bad. In traditional societies, it is seen as an embellishment of female beauty. The favoured areas for tattooing are hands, legs and the neck. In fact the western world has woken up to this art form so that today almost everyone, male and female, in that environment is patronising the tattoo parlours.
Tribal marks on the other hand are a variant of the tattoos and were originally designed to serve a different purpose, not of beautification, but of identity. This explains why the practice covers both males and females. The method adopted is the distinctive scarification of the face based on a uniform pattern for the unmistakable identification of the tribe or clan. During the period of slave trade, it helped to establish where individuals came from. In pre-colonial days with its many internecine tribal and clan wars, it was important that one did not mistake one's townsman for the enemy. The tribal marks on people's faces automatically identified their place of origin. In this day and age, it seems unnecessary to continue with this practice as slave trade has ended and there are no more tribal wars. All modern wars, including guerrilla warfare, are fought with weapons that do not rely on facial recognition for their effectiveness. Apart from disfigurement caused by this scarification, it is arguable whether persons so circumstanced, being in the minority, do not suffer discrimination at the hands of the majority. Fortunately, tribal marks are on the decline and are likely to remain so.
It does not seem reasonable for a dying tradition to be penalised by imprisonment or fine. For a start, how does the state intend to implement this aspect of the law? Is it going to send inspectors to monitor every pregnant woman in Ekiti? In any case punishing a parent after the harm has been done looks like medicine after death. A better option is for the state government to embark on an enlightenment campaign pointing out the dangers of face scarification such as infection and life-long stigmatisation. It should seize the opportunity to warn against other harmful practices like female genital mutilation which has ruined the lives of many women.
We consider Ekiti State with its remarkable concentration of educated people, an enlightened state. On the face of it, parents in that state having seen the value of education do not need any prompting to send their children to school. But should there be those still needing to be persuaded, a public enlightenment campaign may well include the need for them to send their children, boys and girls, to school. The Nigerian child deserves to be protected and given the opportunity to develop and grow without strictures.