Kaduna assembly moves to review caregivers laws, address abuse

The Kaduna State House of Assembly, says it is set to review laws on caregivers to address the issues of abuse and human rights violations in the state.

The Member, representing Kauru/Chawai Constituency at the assembly, Haruna Barnabas, made this known to newsmen on Wednesday in Kaduna at a Care Workers Summit 1.0.

The summit was organised by Transparency and Accountability in Totality, an NGO committed to enhancing service delivery and fostering social inclusion.

The theme of the summit was “Bridging Gap and Empowering Unpaid/Underpaid Care Workers in Kaduna State”.

Barnabas, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Health, stressed the need for employers of the care workers to ask the important questions of whether they were adequately catered for.

He stressed that the care workers were equally humans who also deserved to be taken care of.

Also, the member representing Zaria Constituency, Isma’il Mahmud, said that the house was working towards enacting a law that would mandate employers of caregivers to give them the necessary support as members of the society,

Mahmud, who doubles as the Chairman, House Committee on Education, applauded the organisers of the event.

Explaining the aim of the summit, the Team Lead of Transparency and Accountability in Totality, Halliru Khalifa, said the summit was aimed at raising awareness about critical contributions of unpaid and underpaid care workers.

He added that the summit was also to advocate policies and legal frameworks that support care workers welfare including fair compensation.

Khalifa emphasised the need to foster collaboration among government agencies, civil society organisations and care workers to address caregiving challenges.

The Head of Programmes and Partnership of the NGO, Musa Suleiman, stated that the summit would serve as a wake up call for government and other relevant stakeholders to key into improving the welfare of care workers.

One of the participants, Haulatu Kamilu, shared her experiences as a care worker, saying that she was into care work because she had no choice.

Kamilu said she took the job so as to care for her young children who lost their father at an early age.

Supreme News reports that the summit drew participants from government parastatals, media, traditional rulers, lawmakers, civil society organisations and human right groups, among others.