The Orientation Department of the Nasarawa State Ministry of Information and the United Nations Children Educational Fund (UNICEF) last week organised a one-day workshop on child abuse and exploitation.

Declaring the workshop opene, the commissioner for information and orientation, Alhaji Abdullahi Aliyu Mustapha, said the workshop was designed to sensitise participants on enhancing the rights of children.

The commissioner, who was represented by the permanent secretary, Mr Daniel Anjugu, noted that the State Assembly had passed a bill on child rights which had been signed into law.

He said the act protected the dignity of the child and his right to leisure and recreation.

The act, he said, also protected their right to physical, mental and spiritual health as well as the right to freedom from intimidation and discrimination.

He lauded the partnership between the state government and UNICEF, saying it would improve the lives of the people, especially women and children.

The commissioner urged participants to ensure that they used the knowledge acquired to impact positively on the lives of parents and guardians.

Earlier in his welcome address, the UNICEF coordinator in the state, Alhaji Shehu Yamusa, said the workshop would assist in the enforcement of the rights of the child.

He pledged the continuous assistance of UNICEF in ensuring that child abuse and exploitation were reduced.

Also speaking, Alhaji Usman Ogah, the special adviser to the Nasarawa State Governor on Intergovernmental and Multilateral Cooperation, urged parents and guardians to protect the rights of the child given their vulnerable position.

Parents, he said, must adhere to the ‘’inalienable’’ rights of the child as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution.