Mother burns daughter’s mouth with firewood

The Niger Child Rights Protection Agency is to charge a 30-year-old mother of three, Bilkisu Suleiman of Sabon Titi Area of Tunga, to court for burning her 9-year-old daughter’s mouth with firewood. The Director-General of the agency, Hajiya Mairam Kolo, said on Friday that the case was reported to the agency by the Headmaster of the victim’s school, Malam Musa Garba. Kolo said the victim’s teacher had reported the matter to the school authority after seeing the girl’s burnt mouth. She said that the accused was reported to have denied the victim from attending school and sending her to hawk on several occasions. Kolo said the accused would be charged under Section 26 of Child Right Law for neglect, ill treatment and abandonment, exposure to risk of burning. She said that Section 26 of the State Child Right Law attracts a fine of N5,000, or a term of two months’ imprisonment. The director-general, decried the attitude of parents who sent their children to hawk in order to make ends meet. According to her, hawking exposes children to rape and other abuses. She said the agency would continue to protect the rights of children and bring justice to the vulnerable. Suleiman told the agency that she burnt her daughter’s mouth because she had been stealing money in the house. She said the girl also stole money from a neighbours’ room, which led her to burn her mouth.