106 fathers abandoned children in Gombe state in 2023, says human rights commission

The Nigerian Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has confirmed that 106 fathers abandoned their children in Gombe State in 2023, expressing concern over the increasing cases of child abandonment in the state.

Penpushing reports that the commission Public Relations Officer Ali Alola-Alfinti, made the confirmation on Friday during an interview emphasizing that the increasing cases of child abandonment had become a cause for concern for the commission.

The image maker of the commission pointed out that of 280 complaints treated by the commission in 2023, 106 were on paternal abandonment, representing 37.9 per cent of the total cases treated in the year.

Penpushing further reports that Alola-Alfinti noted that paternal abandonment as a situation whereby a father abandons his responsibilities to his children, resulting in the child being abandoned, adding that when a father fails to provide the necessary care for the children’s well-being, it usually results in the children being neglected, which could affect their development psychologically, physically and emotionally.

‘For fathers who abandon their children and wives without food, care and other basic needs, we received 106 cases in 2023, the highest out of other complaints received; it is really a serious cause for worry’, he stated.

‘The major reason for such an attitude is the economic factor, as many of the fathers blame the situation for their actions. It is a violation of a child’s right for parents to abandon them; children have rights to live and be cared for by those who brought them to the world’, Alola-Alfinti said

Penpushing also reports that the Public Relations Officer stated that the consequence of child abandonment is that such a child is left at the mercy of anyone and such a situation is better imagined than experienced.

The Nigerian Human Rights Commission (NHRC) explained that child abandonment in the long run would have a negative impact on society, hence the need for stakeholders to collaborate to tackle the menace.

Penpushing reports that the commission in addition, said it had stepped up advocacy in that regard, in collaboration with critical grassroots stakeholders to emphasise the need for parents to always take up their responsibilities.

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