By: Odeh Favour Adiya
The Oyo State Government, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Value Female Network Africa (VFN), has flagged off the Gender Transformative Positive Parenting Programme 1.0 to strengthen child protection structures across local communities in the state.
The initiative commenced with a two-day capacity-building workshop for community facilitators held on September 2 and 3, 2026, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Speaking at the opening event, Child Protection Specialist at the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Denis Onoise, underscored the need to empower parents and caregivers to curb violence against children and enhance existing protection systems.
“Parents and caregivers are the first protective environment around a child. Strengthening their knowledge and capacity means that risks can be recognised earlier, violence can be prevented and children who require support can be connected to appropriate services,” Onoise said.
He noted that the initiative extends beyond routine discipline, serving as a core pillar in building robust child protection mechanisms that identify early signs of abuse, neglect, and vulnerability.
Onoise urged participating facilitators to leverage their training to reinforce grassroots structures and enhance awareness around local referral channels for vulnerable children.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Value Female Network Africa, Costly Aderibigbe-Saba, stated that the initiative aims to dismantle harmful social norms and reshape parenting dynamics within families.
“Positive parenting is not simply about raising obedient children. It is about creating homes where children feel safe, heard, respected and supported to develop confidence and realise their potential,” she stated.
“When children can communicate with their parents without fear and parents understand how to guide without violence, we begin to build stronger families and healthier communities,” Aderibigbe-Saba added.
She explained that integrating core protection issues into the parenting curriculum was intentional, given the multiple vulnerabilities children encounter simultaneously.
“A parent should understand positive discipline, but that same parent should also understand how to protect a child from sexual violence, female genital mutilation, child marriage and other harmful practices,” she noted.
“Parents should understand the importance of birth registration, recognise when a child requires additional protection and know where to seek help. Positive parenting gives us an important platform to bring these issues together rather than addressing child protection in fragments,” Aderibigbe-Saba said.
She added that the tripartite partnership seeks to drive sustained behavioral change across households and communities through direct engagement.
On his part, Director of Programmes at Value Female Network Africa, Samuel Abimbade, noted that the project was designed to address rising concerns over child neglect and communication gaps in modern homes.
Abimbade emphasized that while modern parenting requires active guidance in a technology-driven era, positive parenting does not translate to a lack of discipline.
Representing the Oyo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs. Adediran Oluwawemimo, charged parents to foster open, trusting relationships with their wards.
“When children know they can come to you and freely discuss what they are going through, you are better able to nurture, guide, correct and support them,” she noted.
Head of Operations at the State Operations Coordinating Unit, Adelugba Omotola, described the programme as timely in safeguarding children against negative external influences.
Following the facilitator training, participants will roll out a 10-week structured parenting school curriculum across Ibarapa North East, Ibarapa South West, Egbeda, and Akinyele Local Government Areas, targeting 800 parents and caregivers.
The training covers positive parenting, child development, gender-equitable caregiving, positive fatherhood, digital safety, birth registration, and prevention strategies against sexual violence, female genital mutilation, and child marriage.
