Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has pledged that the 8th Senate will harmonize all child adoption laws in the country to make it easier for Nigerians wishing to adopt children do so without hindrance.
Saraki who spoke when the South East Professional Women Association of Nigeria and the Diaspora (SEPWAND), visited him at the National Assembly in Abuja, added that the objective of harmonization of the laws on child adoption is to help reduce the rampant cases of girl-child sex slavery in certain parts of the country.
The Senate President, according to a statement by his Special Assistant on Print Media, Chuks Okocha, in Abuja, said, “though there are different adoption laws from the various states of the federation, but the 8th Senate will ensure that these adoption laws are harmonized to make child adoption easier for couples that plan to adopt any child.
“The Senate will debate these laws from the states, harmonize them and make it less stringent as they are and make adoption laws easier for couples that plan to adopt any child instead of patronizing illegal child adoption centers,” he stated.
Saraki also said that the Senate would ensure that through the amendment of relevant laws that “We shall ensure that through these amended laws that vulnerable young girls can access credit to set up businesses and in the process put operators if baby factories out of business,” Saraki said.
According to the President of the group, Mrs. Nwankanya Ibe, “the South-East has been ridiculed by illegal Adoption Centers (aka Baby Factory). We, the Professional women from this region have monitored this with keen interest and this formed the basis for forming this organization”.
She noted that the SEPWAND is a non-governmental organization whose key objectives are to eradicate the girl-child abuse, sex slavery and all forms of violence against women and to empower the girl-child through scholarship awards, skill acquisition and participation in agriculture.
