Gyang Bere, Jos
The Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) has raised the alarm over activities of child traffickers who take advantage of displaced female children for slavery, child labour and prostitution in Plateau State Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.
Chairman of COCIN Provincial Church Council (PCC), Jos, Rev. Bulus Tsok, raised the alarm when the Church visited the camp to provide succour to IDPs and affected members of the church.
“Our fear is that those whose parents were killed in the attacks are at greater risk of trafficking if proper check is not done to establish the identity and genuineness of any person or group seeking to adopt any displaced child.
“All camp officials, parents and guardians of these children must be on alert, children should not be given out because of hardship, child traffickers are moving round to adopt and pick children for hard labour.
“Do not be in a hurry to give out any child for adoption before you expose them to slavery or a situation where the child grows but doesn’t know his roots.
“Those that are genuine will make proper documentation and identification before taking any child and in most cases after rehabilitating the child and offering whatever support to them, they reunite them with their families and relations and not take them away forever.”
Rev. Tsok warned that anyone seeking to adopt any child from any of the internally displaced persons camps must follow official procedure.
The cleric who appreciated government’s efforts in meeting the needs of the displaced persons called for their return to their original places of abode.
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“The poor conditions of the camps generally make life difficult, particularly slowing down their ability to heal from the traumatic experiences they must have had during the attacks,” the Church leader said.