Stakeholders in Oshodi and Mushin Local Government were trained recently on Alternative Sentencing for Children in Conflict with The Law or children at High risk of Offending.
The training held at the headquarter of the Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, was organised by Grace Springs Rehabilitation Home in collaboration with UNICEF and Ministry of Youth and Social Development to intimate them on the approach, scope and mode of operation of the programme.
According to Mrs Omolara Olawoyin, the Executive Director of Grace Spring Rehabilitation Home and also the Coordinator of the Diversion Programme in Lagos State, children are vulnerable and many of the offences committed by them are mostly caused by the neglect by the parents and society which can be nipped on the bud if all stakeholders are aware of alternative sentencing where rehabilitation programmes were already put in place for such children.
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Omolara encouraged all the stakeholders present including the Media, Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons, Local government Counsellors and Paramilitary officers from Neighbourhood Watch and Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) to be the watchdog in their communities as they take the information to their various communities on the importance of the diversion where children in conflict with the law are rehabilitated and re-integrated to the society.
“We work with children age 10 to 17 years who are in conflict with the law and those that are likely to commit minor offences that are anti -social behaviour like truancy, pilfering, fighting, etc. When they are in conflict with the law for stealing, fighting and other minor offences, they are taken to the Police Station but instead of charging the children to court, they are sent to our organization for rehabilitation.
After rehabilitating them through research on the root cause of the offence, we do counselling and design training programmes for them according to their need and we re-integrate them to the society after graduating them from our centre”, she added.
