ENigeria, unongendi ukhathalela abantwana abalahliweyo ababizwa ngokuba ngamagqwirha

Kwiminyaka emithathu emva kokwamkela u-Inimffon Uwamobong oneminyaka emi-2 ubudala kunye nomntakwabo omncinci, uDade Matylda Iyang, ekugqibeleni weva kunina owayebashiyile.

"Umama wabo wabuya wandixelela ukuba yena (Inimffon) kunye nomninawa wakhe bangamagqwirha, bendicela ukuba ndibakhuphe kwikhaya loonongendi," utshilo u-Iyang, owongamele ikhaya labantwana bakaMama uCharles Walker kwizicakakazi zoMntwana oyiNgcwele.

Isityholo esinjalo asinto intsha kuIyang.

Oko wavula eli khaya ngo-2007, u-Iyang ukhathalele uninzi lwabantwana abangondlekanga nabangenamakhaya kwizitalato zase-Uyo; Uninzi lwazo lwaluneentsapho ezazikholelwa ukuba zingamagqwirha.

Abazalwana baseUwamobong baye bachacha kwaye bakwazi ukubhalisa esikolweni, kodwa u-Iyang nabanye ababoneleli beenkonzo zentlalo bajongene neemfuno ezifanayo.

Ukhathalelo lwempilo kunye noonontlalontle bathi abazali, abagcini kunye neenkokheli zenkolo babhengeza abantwana njengabathakathi ngenxa yezizathu ezininzi. Ngokwe-UNICEF ne-Human Rights Watch, abantwana abaphantsi kwezi zityholo bahlala bephathwa kakubi, belahliwe, kuthengiswa ngabo okanye babulawe.

Kuyo yonke i-Afrika, igqwirha ngokwenkcubeko lithathwa njengeyona nto ibalaseleyo yobubi kunye nonobangela welishwa, izifo kunye nokufa. Ngenxa yoko, igqwirha ngoyena mntu uthiyiweyo kuluntu lwaseAfrika kwaye kufuneka ohlwaywe, aphathwe gadalala kwanokufa.

Kukho iingxelo zabantwana - abhalwe njengamagqwirha - betyholwa ngezikhonkwane entloko kwaye benyanzelwa ukuba basele ikhonkrithi, batshiswe ngomlilo, bane-asidi, banetyhefu kwaye bangcwatywa bephila.

ENigeria, abanye abefundisi abangamaKristu baye bafaka iinkolelo zaseAfrika malunga nobugqwirha kwi-brand yabo yobuKristu, ekhokelela kwiphulo lobundlobongela kubantu abatsha kwezinye iindawo.

Abahlali belizwe lase-Akwa Ibom- kubandakanya amalungu e-Ibibio, Annang kunye nama-Oro - bakholelwa kubukho benkolo nemimoya.

Ubawo uDominic Akpankpa, umlawuli olawulayo weCatholic Institute of Justice and Peace kwi-diocese yase-Uyo, uthe ubukho bobugqwirha yinto ethandwayo ngabo bangazi nto ngezakwalizwi.

“Ukuba uthi umntu uligqwirha, kufuneka ubonakalise,” utshilo. Wongeze ngelithi uninzi lwabo batyholwa ngokuba ngamagqwirha banganeengxaki zengqondo kwaye "luxanduva lwethu ukunceda aba bantu ngeengcebiso ukuze baphume kuloo meko."

Ukuprofetha ngobugqwirha nokushiya umntwana kuxhaphakile kwizitrato zase-Akwa Ibom.

Ukuba indoda iphinde yaphinda yatshata, u-Iyang uthe, umfazi omtsha usenokungasinyamezeli isimo sengqondo somntwana emva kokuba etshatile nomhlolo kwaye, ngenxa yoko, uya kumgxotha ngaphandle kwendlu.

"Ukuphumeza oku, angambeka ityala lokuba uligqwirha," utshilo u-Iyang. "Yiyo loo nto uzakufumana abantwana abaninzi esitalatweni kwaye xa ubabuza, bazakuthi ngumama wabo wesibini owabagxotha ekhaya."

Uthe intlupheko kunye nokukhulelwa kolutsha kunganyanzelisa abantwana ukuba bangene ezitalatweni.

Ikhowudi yaseNigeria yokohlwaya iyakwalela ukutyhola, okanye ukoyikisa ukutyhola umntu ngokuthi uligqwirha. UmThetho wamaLungelo abaNtwana ka-2003 wenza ukuba kube lityala ukwaphula nawuphina umntwana ngokwasemzimbeni nangokweemvakalelo okanye ukubaphatha gadalala.

Amagosa eAkwa Ibom afake uMthetho wamaLungelo abaNtwana kumzamo wokunciphisa ukuphathwa gadalala kwabantwana. Ukongeza, urhulumente wamkela umthetho ngonyaka ka-2008 othi ukuprofetha kobugqwirha kohlwaywa ngesigwebo seminyaka elishumi.

U-Akpankpa uthe ukwaphula umthetho ukungabikho kokusesikweni kwabantwana linyathelo eliya kwicala elilungileyo.

“Abantwana abaninzi kuye kwathiwa bangamagqwirha namaxhoba. Sasineefektri zabantwana apho kugcinwa khona amabhinqa aselula; bayabeleka kwaye abantwana babo bayathathwa bathengiswe ngenjongo yokufumana imali, ”utshilo umfundisi kwi-CNS.

Ukuthutyeleziswa kwabantu kwakusothusa kakhulu. Iifektri ezininzi zabantwana zafunyanwa, abantwana noomama babo bahlangulwa ngelixa abenzi bobubi beziswa ematyaleni, ”wongeze watsho.

Kwikhaya likaMama uCharles Walker laBantwana, apho uninzi lwabantwana lwamkelwa kwaye luthunyelwe esikolweni kunye nemali yokufunda, u-Iyang ubonakalisa ukuzimisela kweCawe yamaKatolika ekukhuseleni amalungelo abantwana. Uthe uninzi lolutsha olungondlekanga olufumana lo myalelo ngabo baphulukana noonina xa bebeleka "kwaye neentsapho zabo zibazisa kunyango."

Ukufumana umkhondo kunye nokudibana kwakhona, u-Iyang wenza ubambiswano ne-Akwa Ibom State yoMphathiswa Wezemicimbi Yabasetyhini Nentlalo-ntle Yoluntu. Inkqubo iqala ngokuqinisekiswa kwabazali ngokuqokelela ulwazi malunga nomntwana ngamnye kunye nendawo ahlala kuyo ngaphambi kokwahlukana. Inolwazi olusezandleni, umphandi uya kwidolophu yakulo mfana ukuya kuqinisekisa ukuba ufundeni.

Le nkqubo ibandakanya iinkokheli zasekuhlaleni, abadala kunye neenkokheli zemveli kunye nezenkolo ukuqinisekisa ukuba umntwana ngamnye uhlanganiswe ngokufanelekileyo kwaye wamkelwe eluntwini. Xa oko kusilele, umntwana uya kubekwa kumgaqo wokumkelwa phantsi kweliso likarhulumente.

Ukusukela oko kwavulwa uMama kaCharles Walker waBantwana ngo-2007, u-Iyang kunye nabasebenzi bakhathalele malunga ne-120 labantwana. Malunga ne-74 baphinda bazimanya neentsapho zabo, utshilo.

"Ngoku sishiye i-46 nathi," utshilo, "ngethemba lokuba iintsapho zabo ziya kuze zibathathe ngenye imini okanye babe nabazali abamkelekileyo."