PROVIDE BUDGETARY SUPPORT TO THE Liberia National Children's Representative Forum-LNCRF
“Provide budgetary support to the LNCRF- The biggest children brand institution for Children Rights in Liberia”
At about this time, the Liberia Children's Parliament now Children's Forum is still protesting for budgetary support and allocation, something the Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection Liberia should be taking leading roles to do.
I feel abash to most time allude that Liberia President in #Pres_Weah would love children but his minister's institution that attends to the welfare and need of children are careless and novice to the Liberia Children Law.
PROVIDE BUDGETARY ALLOCATION TO THE LNCRF.
Here is the Law speaking here
"Part 11/ Section 1
1.1
A fund is hereby established to be known as the Child Rights Advancement Fund to be held and managed by the Ministry of Gender and Development, subject to the Revenue Code and any other financial laws and regulations that Government may put in place; The purpose of the fund shall be to provide for education on child rights and correlative duties or child well-being in Liberia.
1.2
The Ministry of Gender and Development may every quarter of the year make any necessary grants to child rights and youth clubs or any civil society organizations involved in child rights education in Liberia. "
This is the first portion of Chapter 11, section 1.1-2 of the Liberian Children Law, the same Law that brought into force and empowers the Liberia National Children Representative Forum as the face and representative embodiment of all children in the borders of Liberia both at county and national level.
In my sense of experience, I am yet to see any institution that is founded by an Act of legislature that is not been partially or wholly supported by the national budget. A few days ago, the Minister and her entourage of the Ministry of Gender met with the house committee on gender, children, and social protection but because they are a novice to the actual sense of the LNCRF and provide little but lips service to the protection of children of Liberia, issues of such kind were not rational for their discussion. Today, colleagues of the LNCRF current leadership and members are out there in the street mounting pressure on the legislature for budgetary allocation and consideration. The truth is they shouldn’t have run up there so fast, howbeit, you know I be around there, we’d stop all of you from having entry into the ministerial complex. The better way, since you have become an adamant force, it is prudently necessary that these kids get the upper house to look at their plights.
This is the backdrop from which I disengage from following both the proper minister and her team of deputies and assistant ministers. This entire batch of teams who could be using their platform to promote the rights of children used these accounts to show their new fashions and travels message. No signal of motivation for others to join you in the fight for children's rights. I am a witness to the many promises yielded toward this LNCRF concerning this budgetary advocacy and allocation; this is the love lipstick of the Minister, her principal deputies, and Assistant Minister for children and social protection. The ministers have failed flat in their space of lobbying and negotiation, something all of them boasts about. It had been 4 years since the inception of this government, 3 tenures since you took office, but the same issue. You seriously lack the spirit of innovation, no creativity. You spew separation and divisive politics in the LNCRF as a way of looking for members who could join the CDC youth league after leaving the forum, but in these times was unable to advocate for even a 20,000 budget for the LNCRF for the sole purpose of the operation. I keep pressing “operation” because the ministry will regularly receive funds from members of the CPN, UNICEF, other reputable people, and business institutions for programs and events for the LNCRF. Anyway, the team there also sees this point as their chopping point, so they risk getting it all done.
This ministry and its course of officials refuse to follow the standards of the children's law, not only because they want to be hindered the protection of children in this country, but also because they don’t read the law well.
In my thoughts, the Ministry of Gender should begin by allocating the needed budget for the LNCRF, and if it is denied during the budget hearing the minister could remind the legislature of the Children Law Part 11. Madam Minister, please hearken to the notes in here and take consideration.
If other organizations will help in the facilitation of programs that are widely celebrated in the region for children including the Day of the African Child, the Universal Children Day, World White Cane Day, International Day of people with disabilities, the world human right day, among others, the ministry should then take responsibility in contributing to the full operation and running of the LNCRF. On the contrary and ironically, the ministry lives to only beg for support for events for the LNCRF or other programs that the LNCRF would form part of but is making a little or poor contribution to the LNCRF. This is also because the ministry of gender only knows the word “Supervise” when it comes to the activities of the LNCRF. If you think that I am anti of government, note that this is coming out of the experience we face in the last 5 years of serving the institution.
If we have been wrong, novice to children issues and been behind the scene in time past, it is time to show the real love we share in our heart not just for our belly born but for the benefits of the over 2 million population that the LNCRF serve. Madam Minister, I know you have scored some small blueprints in making things happen especially to get it done at the discussion, I am hoping you could get to the needed authority including yourself, and aid the mass Liberian children. Remember the LNCRF is officially 10 years old, unofficially more than 2 decades old.
Anything for us, without us, is not for us.
If you need a copy of the Liberian Children Law, Kindly send your mail in the comment session, I will share it with you.
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