The Anambra State Social Welfare, Women, and Children Affairs Ministry has decried the high rate of child trafficking and molestation pervasive in the society.

On account of this, the ministry said it was ready to bring to justice the perpetrators, while urging parents to always monitor their wards.

Ndidi Mezue, the commissioner for Women Affairs, said this while briefing newsmen in her office, at Women Development Centre, Awka.

She said the state would continue its collaboration with National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons, NAPTIP, to curb child trafficking, abuse and molestation in the area.

Mezue pointed out that the state government had also concluded plans to partner an International Donor Agency to offer beggars relevant skills acquisition programme.

The commissioner emphasised that the ministry recorded achievements by inaugurating Steering Committee on Child Labour and the fight against molestation, hawking and other forms of abuses on children and women in the state.

The committee comprised, the Police, Civil Defence, Road Safety, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, and Directorate of State Service, DSS.

She explained that the ministry sensitised parents and other stakeholders on the need to avoid sending their children to hawk during school hours.

Mezue cautioned that those caught hawking during school hours would be arrested and taken to the Abagana Remand Home.

She added that six of the mentally sick people, who were being rehabilitated at Nteje were now stable and would be released to their families soon.

“I must commend the wife of the state Governor, Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano for impacting on people’s lives through her pet project, Caring Family Enhancement Initiative (CAFÉ).

“So far she has built not less 23 houses for indigent widows in addition to various youths and women empowerment,’’ she added.

Azuka Ofomata, permanent secretary in the ministry, a physically challenged, expressed displeasure at some of the people begging for alms by faking various diseases and deformities to defraud members of the public.

Ofomata made it known that the Donor Agencies would help in training some of the beggars on skills that would help them to become productive members of the society.

– Sept. 4, 2018 @ 9:55 GMT |