ActionAid Calls for Stop in Infanticide

*Rescues over 100 babies from killing in partnership with Vine Heritage Foundation

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

ActionAid Nigeria has called for immediate stop in infanticide and social profiling of children with distinct birth.
The non-governmental organisation yesterday said it was wrong and unacceptable at this age and time that people are still involved in activities that they term as cultural belief and practices of killing of twins, which include multiple births.

ActionAid said the negative profiling does not exclude children who lost their mothers during birth who are believed to be witches and wizards, children born with albinism are not allowed to live, children who grew the upper teeth first are meant to be evil, children who are born with deformities are also believed to have demonic manipulation on them and so they don’t allow them to live .

The ActionAid Nigeria as part of his activities for this year and its commitment to collaborating with social movements and citizens to tackle poverty and social injustice across Nigeria, has scheduled to pay a visit to Vine Heritage Home Foundation (VHHF) in Kuje community, Abuja together with  board and general assembly members for the main purpose of making children feel good or have sense of belonging.

While speaking during the visit to the Foundation, the Country Director of ActionAid, Mr Andrew Mamedu: “We came upon Vine Heritage Home, and we just naturally got started working with them. The reason was simple. This is an epitome of what ActionAid stands for, fighting for injustice and poverty. So this is an epitome of injustice and poverty where we have man or human inhumanity to human or to children in this instance, and that, of course, attracted us to them. And since then, we have been working closely.

“We partnered with the European Union to put up this edifice. And of course, we have seen a lot of transformation over the years, a positive transformation, improvement in vines heritage. When we first met them, they had about 160 children, and these are children that have been rescued from infanticide. But as of today August 9th, 2024 we have about 203 children and while about 30 have been reconciled back to their family.”

Although, he expected that the number ought to have been reduced but reverse is the case and that alone show that people are still practicing infanticide.

“The amazing things is that, 64 communities around FCT are still practicing infanticide, the good thing is, from the time when we started the number has come down to about 60. So, that means four communities have stopped the practice. But it also means that one way or the other, they still bring children here and people are still practicing this ungodly act.”

The founder of Vine Heritage Home Founded, Mr. Steven Olusola who complained about some of the challenges faced, said: “What we had in mind before was that as those communities are changing their mind concerning the killing of twins we will be integrating children back to their community but we discovered that some community who have been killing children in silence are now ready to hand them over to us and the number keep on increasing.

“So he appeal to the government to continue in their efforts in making sure that the practice of infanticide should be totally abolished In  FCT. So we need to sustain our advocacy and the awareness that no child should be killed because of the circumstances of their birth.”