The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) has advocated capital punishment for all persons caught in the act of buying and selling of babies.
FIDA made the call on Saturday, at an end-of-year party organised for privileged and less-privileged children in Benin.
The Chairperson, Edo Chapter of FIDA, Mrs Maria Edeko, in her opening address at the occasion, said children were a gift from God, with rights that needed to be protected.
While noting that there were other legal means of having children, for those unable to have children of their own, Edeko said the association was mounting a vigorous campaign against the hawking of children.
She said that the association had evolved a plan to send a document to the National Assembly, on the matter.
The Chairperson noted that the document would spell out the punishment for all those involved in such acts.
According Edeko, “We can actually adopt children through legal means, such as being practiced in some other countries of the world.
“In these countries, we have a new jurisprudence which is called surrogacy. You can enter into an agreement with somebody to have a child for you, especially when you are unable to.
“This method or any other legal ones can be adopted, instead of hiding behind the markets or lurking around street corners, to buy and sell babies.
“The act of buying and selling children is not only a crime, but also against the will of God. Children should be protected, cared for and nurtured by their parents, especially mothers, and should never be put up for sale.’’
Former minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Josephine Anenih, who chaired the occasion, appealed to parents to always make the welfare of their children a top priority.
NAN
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