Sunday Okobi
Lagos-based charity organisation, Kick Against Child Abuse (KACA), has pushed for legal firms and law practitioners to provide free counsel for children suffering all forms of abuses in Nigeria.
In a statement issued yesterday during an outreach in the Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State, a trustee of KACA, Mr Femi Eigbokhan, talked about the hardship and difficulty faced by parents and guardians of abused children finding proper representation to help them fight cases in court that deal with mostly molestation and sexual abuse.
According to statement, “It is not strange to find that most abused victims come from poor backgrounds and don’t have the financial power to take cases to court, thereby giving the abusers the opportunity to go scotfree because our police system is not truly equipped to deal with matters like sexual abuse.
“We at KACA have tried to support a few families in helping to take their case to court but it would be more helpful if legal houses provide some low cost or free representation for children, this will go a long way in persecuting abusers.”
KACA also highlighted the need for the government to put necessary funding to the relevant agencies that tackle all forms of child molestation and abuses since most private law firms wouldn’t be too keen to provide free representation.
Another trustee of KACA, Mr Stanley Ihensekhien, also disclosed what they are doing to provide legal help.
He said: “We know it wouldn’t be easy getting lawyers to just do their job for free but we at KACA are going to partner with some firms to be able to provide some counsel and help children suffering abuse, it is our goal and duty to the society.
“One of our trustees is also a legal practitioner and has been helpful in trying to get law firms to sit with us. So we are hopeful.”
