By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is backing a community-based child protection initiative in Kaduna State aimed at preventing child marriage, sexual violence, female genital mutilation (FGM) and other harmful practices through positive parenting, community dialogue and improved access to survivor-centred services.

The initiative, implemented through the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice and community partners, targets at least 1,000 parents in five Zaria communities with positive parenting education, child protection awareness and stronger referral pathways for survivors of violence.

The initiative, known as the Neem Tree Dialogue, was officially launched at the palace of the Emir of Zazzau in Zaria, with UNICEF providing strategic and technical leadership and working through the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice, the Women and Children’s Rights Empowerment Foundation and other government and community institutions to strengthen protection for children.

The programme seeks to move child protection beyond legislation and emergency intervention by addressing the family and community conditions that expose children, particularly girls, to violence, exploitation, early marriage and the denial of educational opportunities.

Its approach combines structured parenting sessions, community awareness campaigns, storytelling, engagement with traditional and religious leaders, and stronger links between communities and Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs).

The initial community action initiative is expected to reach at least 1,000 parents across five Zaria communities: Gelesu, Tudun Wada, Zaria City, Samaru and Kongo.

The broader Sexual Violence Against Children Prevention and Response Programme also covers Kaduna and Kwara states under UNICEF’s Kaduna Field Office, with interventions designed to strengthen protective family environments, improve access to services and promote gender-equitable social norms.

The launch brought together the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli; Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa; representatives of the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice; UNICEF officials; traditional and religious leaders; and other stakeholders.

UNICEF places families at the centre of child protection

Delivering UNICEF’s goodwill message, the Chief of Field Office in Kaduna, Dr. Gerida Birukila, emphasised that the family remains the first environment in which children learn values, receive care and protection, and develop the confidence to participate in decisions affecting their lives.

She noted that despite the importance of the family, many children remain exposed to street life, child labour, sexual violence, early marriage, poverty and insecurity.

The UNICEF representative stressed the need to equip parents and caregivers with practical skills to raise children in safe, nurturing environments where their rights, dignity and voices are respected.

The programme promotes positive parenting practices, including quality time with children, effective communication, emotional literacy, constructive conflict resolution and discipline without violence.

It also seeks to encourage parents to recognise children as individuals with rights and aspirations rather than treating them merely as dependants whose lives and futures should be determined without their participation.

Birukila highlighted the importance of traditional institutions in bringing communities together, challenging harmful social norms and encouraging collective responsibility for children’s wellbeing.

She described the Neem Tree as a symbol of shade, protection and a gathering place where people can reflect on shared challenges and agree on practical solutions.

The initiative, she indicated, offers an opportunity to translate that symbolism into community action by creating spaces where parents, children, traditional rulers, religious leaders and public institutions can discuss sensitive issues and develop locally acceptable ways to protect children.

Data reveal scale of child protection challenges

The programme comes against the background of persistent child protection challenges reflected in national surveys covering Kaduna and other states within UNICEF’s Kaduna Field Office.

Data from the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), as presented in the programme materials, indicate that 93 per cent of children aged one to 14 in Kaduna experienced violent discipline.

The corresponding figures were 91 per cent in Kwara, 91 per cent in Nasarawa and 89 per cent in Niger, compared with a national average of 90.4 per cent.

The figures underscore the need to strengthen positive parenting and reduce the use of physical punishment and other violent disciplinary practices in homes.

The same survey data put child labour prevalence among children aged five to 17 at 40.9 per cent in Kaduna, 19.2 per cent in Kwara, 39.2 per cent in Nasarawa and 42.9 per cent in Niger, against a national average of 31.5 per cent.

Child marriage also remains a major concern.

According to the supplied MICS 2021 figures, 35.4 per cent of women aged 20–24 in Kaduna had married before the age of 18, compared with 33.4 per cent nationally. The figures for Kwara, Nasarawa and Niger were 17.8 per cent, 29.2 per cent and 36.2 per cent, respectively.

For marriage before the age of 15, the corresponding figures were 16.9 per cent in Kaduna, 10 per cent in Kwara, nine per cent in Nasarawa and 9.7 per cent in Niger, against a national average of 12.3 per cent.

The programme materials also cite the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), which recorded female genital mutilation prevalence among girls aged zero to 14 at 16.4 per cent in Kaduna, 23.9 per cent in Kwara, 25.7 per cent in Nasarawa and 2.4 per cent in Niger.

These indicators point to the importance of sustained prevention efforts that address the social expectations, parenting practices and community attitudes that can expose children to harm.

The programme also draws on the 2014 Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey, which found that approximately 25 per cent of females and 11 per cent of males aged 18–24 had experienced sexual violence before turning 18.

The evidence reinforces the need for a child protection system that combines prevention, early identification, appropriate referrals, access to justice and support for survivors.

Ministry of Justice to drive state-level implementation

The Kaduna State Ministry of Justice is a key implementing partner in the initiative, working with UNICEF and other institutions to strengthen the connection between child protection laws, access to justice and community-level prevention.

Representing the ministry at the launch, Mrs. Hafsat Umar reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to enforcing child protection laws, prosecuting offenders and improving access to justice for vulnerable people.

She, however, stressed that legislation alone could not eliminate deeply rooted harmful practices without active participation and ownership by families and communities.

“Legislation can prohibit harmful conduct, but sustainable change occurs when families and communities embrace the values behind the law. Empowering girls is not contrary to our values; it strengthens our families and communities,” Umar said.

Her remarks reflected one of the central principles of the Neem Tree Dialogue: that effective child protection requires more than laws and government institutions. It also depends on whether families and communities understand children’s rights and are willing to uphold them in their daily lives.

Under the programme’s implementation arrangements, UNICEF is expected to provide technical leadership, quality assurance, monitoring and coordination among relevant sectors, including the ministries responsible for justice and women affairs, social welfare structures and SARCs.

The Women and Children’s Rights Empowerment Foundation is among the local civil society partners supporting community engagement and the translation of child protection objectives into practical activities.

The programme also involves the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the National Orientation Agency, alongside traditional and religious institutions.

Through this partnership, the initiative seeks to strengthen existing child protection structures rather than rely exclusively on new institutions.

Community facilitators will be trained to conduct parenting sessions in accessible local settings, including schools, mosques and churches, while awareness activities will use radio jingles and digital messages in local languages to reach wider audiences.

Coordination with relevant government agencies and SARCs is intended to ensure that public messages about sexual violence, harmful practices and available support services are accurate, ethical and sensitive to survivors.

Twelve-module curriculum to equip parents and caregivers

A major component of the initiative is a structured positive parenting curriculum built around 12 modules.

The programme begins with a pre-assessment to establish participants’ existing knowledge, attitudes and practices before introducing sessions on family goals, quality time, emotional literacy and positive communication.

Participants will also learn problem-solving skills, non-violent communication, discipline without violence, and how to establish rules and routines that create safe and predictable family environments.

Other modules focus on recognising risks in communities and relationships, responding to crises, understanding referral pathways and available services, and strengthening wider family and community support networks.

The curriculum concludes with a post-assessment to measure learning and encourage reflection on changes in parenting knowledge and practices.

The programme plans to train at least one community facilitator per targeted local government area and deliver regular parenting sessions in high-risk communities.

Approximately 60 per cent of the intended parenting-session audience will be mothers and female caregivers, while deliberate efforts will be made to involve fathers and male caregivers.

The organisers recognise that child protection cannot rest solely on women and mothers. Engaging men is intended to promote shared caregiving, positive masculinities and greater responsibility among fathers for children’s safety, development and emotional wellbeing.

By equipping caregivers with practical skills, the initiative hopes to reduce the use of violence in homes, improve communication between parents and children, and help families recognise warning signs before situations escalate into abuse or require emergency intervention.

Expected outcomes include increased caregiver capacity to prevent violence, greater public awareness of child protection risks, improved utilisation of SARC services and stronger community norms supporting child safety and non-violence.

From fiction to community action

The Neem Tree Dialogue takes its name and central inspiration from In the Shadow of the Neem Tree, a book written by lawyer and women’s and children’s rights advocate Barrister Maryam Marwa Abdu.

The book tells the story of Talatu, a fictional 13-year-old girl whose aspirations for education and entrepreneurship conflict with the gender expectations and marriage pressures surrounding her.

Although the protagonist is fictional, the story explores realities confronting many girls, including child marriage, gender inequality, child labour, violence, disability-related stigma and the limited participation of children in decisions affecting their futures.

Speaking at the launch, Abdu explained that the experiences portrayed in the book reflect the circumstances of many girls whose opportunities are constrained by harmful social expectations.

“Across our communities, many girls face similar experiences—circumstances that deny them the opportunity to fulfil their potential. This is why we have chosen to take this story beyond the pages of my book and use it as a tool for community dialogue, awareness, and action,” she said.

She explained that the project would use the story to engage parents, traditional and religious leaders, young people and government institutions in structured discussions aimed at promoting positive parenting and protecting children from domestic and gender-based violence.

The approach draws on storytelling as a way to open conversations about issues that communities may find difficult to discuss directly.

Rather than treating the book as an end in itself, the programme seeks to use its characters and situations as starting points for examining real-life decisions, family relationships, cultural expectations and the consequences of harmful practices.

The planned activities include storytelling sessions, drama and other creative approaches, town hall meetings, focus-group discussions, parenting sessions and stakeholder engagements.

Traditional and religious leaders are expected to play an important role in these conversations by helping communities examine harmful practices, distinguish them from positive cultural and religious values, and identify ways to protect children without dismissing the importance of community identity.

The initiative also recognises that the solutions presented in fiction may appear simpler than the economic, cultural and patriarchal barriers families face in real life. Its community engagement strategy is therefore intended to bring those complexities into the open and support collective problem-solving.

Marwa links child marriage to trauma and substance abuse

In his keynote remarks, NDLEA Chairman, retired Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa, drew attention to the relationship between forced child marriage, social trauma and substance abuse among young people.

Marwa said the agency’s rehabilitation and counselling centres frequently handle cases involving young women escaping forced marriages, domestic abuse, isolation or desertion.

He argued that drug abuse should not be viewed solely as a law enforcement problem because, in some cases, it is connected to deeper experiences of trauma, neglect and hopelessness.

“Drugs are rarely where the story begins; they are where a story of trauma, neglect, and lost hope often ends. A child forced into marriage loses her education, her health, and her voice. When there is no counsellor or clinic, some turn to substances like Tramadol, Codeine, or Cannabis to cope,” Marwa stated.

He added that efforts to tackle drug abuse would remain incomplete if the social conditions that expose children and young people to trauma were ignored.

“If we want to win the fight against drug abuse, arrests and seizures alone will never be enough; we must also close the doors through which our children enter trauma, including child marriage,” he said.

Marwa pledged the agency’s support for community-level drug demand reduction initiatives and commended the programme’s 12-week parenting training component.

His remarks broadened the discussion beyond child marriage and violence to the wider consequences of exposing children to harmful circumstances without adequate support, counselling and protection.

The collaboration with NDLEA is expected to strengthen community awareness of drug-related risks while encouraging prevention efforts that address the vulnerabilities of children and adolescents.

Emir pledges support for community protection efforts

The Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, commended the founder and organisers of the initiative and expressed the support of the Zazzau Emirate Council.

The monarch highlighted the council’s collaboration with the Neem Foundation on family disputes, matrimonial issues and youth welfare, noting the importance of addressing such matters within the framework of local values and Islamic teachings.

“Every day, we learn new things. Every morning, the Council sits here to discuss reconciliation and family life. We must ensure our young people are not exploited or used as drug couriers. We appreciate the work being done and will continue to collaborate to protect our communities,” the Emir said.

The Emirate Council’s involvement is important to the programme’s strategy of securing community ownership through trusted traditional institutions.

By engaging royal fathers and religious leaders, the initiative aims to create opportunities for dialogue around child marriage, parenting, girls’ education and child protection in settings where community norms and family decisions are shaped.

The organisers hope that sustained participation by these institutions will help communities move from general expressions of concern to practical commitments that protect children and strengthen family relationships.

Strengthening survivor-centred services

While much of the initiative focuses on preventing violence before it occurs, the programme also recognises the importance of accessible and appropriate services for children who have already experienced abuse.

Sexual Assault Referral Centres are an important part of the response framework because they provide pathways through which survivors can access relevant support and services.

The programme intends to strengthen referral links between communities and operational SARCs, improve awareness of available services and encourage families to seek help when children face violence or exploitation.

Its approach is designed to be child-centred, survivor-sensitive and trauma-informed, with attention to the dignity, privacy and safety of affected children.

The emphasis on ethical communication is particularly relevant to sexual violence reporting and awareness campaigns, where careless messaging can expose survivors to stigma, discrimination or further harm.

By working with the Ministry of Justice, social welfare structures, relevant service providers and civil society organisations, UNICEF and its partners seek to improve coordination between prevention activities and the response mechanisms available to children and families.

The programme’s success will depend not only on the number of parenting sessions conducted or awareness materials distributed, but also on whether families adopt safer practices, communities recognise and report abuse appropriately, and children can access support without fear or stigma.

A community-owned approach to lasting change

The Neem Tree Dialogue reflects a prevention-focused approach to child protection that combines family-level interventions, community mobilisation, institutional coordination and access to justice.

Its immediate ambition is to reach at least 1,000 parents across five Zaria communities, but its broader purpose is to establish a sustained, community-owned platform for discussing social norms and strengthening child protection.

For UNICEF and its partners, the initiative offers an opportunity to connect policy commitments and child protection laws with the everyday decisions made in homes and communities.

For the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice, it provides a framework for working with communities while reinforcing the importance of legal protection and accountability.

For traditional and religious institutions, it creates space to use their influence to promote family wellbeing, challenge harmful practices and encourage the protection of children.

And for parents and caregivers, the programme offers practical tools to communicate with children, resolve disagreements without violence, recognise risks and seek help when necessary.

Ultimately, the initiative’s impact will be measured by whether it helps children remain safe, continue their education, participate in decisions affecting their lives and grow up free from violence and exploitation.

The Neem Tree, traditionally a place of shade and gathering, thus becomes a metaphor for the protection the initiative seeks to establish: a community environment where children are heard, families are supported and harmful practices are confronted before they destroy young lives.