Humanitarian Social Enterprise Expresses Concerns over Child Abuse Arising from Danjagora Menace
By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
A Humanitarian Social Service Enterprise known as Caprecon Green Innovations has resolved to bring attention to the Danjagora menace which it described as child abuse and trafficking.
Danjagora is a male or female child serving as guides to the blind or physically challenged persons begging on the streets of mostly Northern Nigeria.
An official Caprecon Green Innovations , Abu John Yusuf shared this concerns with newsmen at his office, in Bauchi.
Yusuf said that Caprecon Green Innovations is launching the first-ever advocacy campaign against child begging in both Bauchi and Borno States.
He also said that the advocacy campaign aims to educate families- especially young mothers- about the dangers of child begging, and the devastating consequences that forced labor can have on a child's mental and physical health and future prospects.
According to Yusuf, the campaign will also incorporate intensive workshops on some vocations that includes perfume making, waste disposal, community banking, and other entrepreneurial pursuits to reduce the reliance of at-risk households on the income generated by sending their child to the streets.
He further pointed out that the campaign will also revisit the issue around passing of the child rights acts (CRA) in Bauchi State through advocacy and enlightenment campaigns, highlighting the menace of Danjagora as denying the victims of certain fundamental rights enshrined in the CRAs.
“Caprecon Green believes that Jagora is a human trafficking practice because of the financial gains inherent in the practice.
“The caregivers of the Danjagora and the blind person usually entered into an informal agreement of paying for the services of the Danjagora.
“The Danjagora (Male or Female Child) under instructions from the parents or caregivers now guides the blind or the physically challenged on a begging vocation all through the day and some parts of the night. And based on the arrangement with the caregivers, some percentage of the money realised from the begging will be given to the caregivers for the services rendered by the children or wards. So, you can now see why Caprecon Green Innovations equites Jagora as human trafficking because of the financial gains resulting from services rendered by the Danjagora”, said Yusuf.
The Bauchi State Caprecon Green official said that plans have reached advanced stage in carrying out advocacy campaigns to fast track the passage and enforcement of the Child Rights Acts.
Our correspondent gathered that Caprecon Green Innovation is a Nigerian registered subsidiary of Caprecon Humanitarian Services UK.
Recall that Bauchi State has the highest rate of out-of-school children in the country. Instead of being in school, many of Bauchi State's young children are forced to work as sight-guides for blind beggars on the streets of Nigeria. A problem that has largely remained unvisited in Nigeria, childhood begging places children at a disproportionate risk for falling victim to human trafficking or violent armed groups.
(Pictures used for illustrative purposes only, Courtesy: BBC, Alamy)