By Daniel Ezeigwe
Amidst growing cases of child-related crimes in Nigeria, Anambra governor’s wife, Mrs Nonye Soludo says the state is taking the right steps to check cases of child trafficking and illegal adoptions.
The governor’s wife stated this in Awka while declaring open a workshop organized for Non-governmental Organizations by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP).
The aim of the workshop which is attended by representatives of NGOs from Anambra, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, is to address emerging issues in trafficking in persons and illegal adoption procedures.
Addressing the gathering, Mrs Soludo said that the issues of child trafficking and illegal adoption must be given the right attention, with recent statistics indicating sharp increase in such cases.
She noted that effective feedback platforms must be developed to get welfare reports on children that have been adopted legally, while conscious and collective actions need to be taken to defeat the wrecks of child trafficking.
The Anambra governor’s wife who lamented rising scale of violence against children in the hands of care givers and guardians, called for stronger child protection mechanism, increased education and awareness and community dialogues, stressing that the Anambra State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare has achieved huge results in tackling human trafficking, domestic violence and illegal adoptions.
Earlier in his remarks, the Director General of NAPTIP, Professor Fatima Waziri-Azi, represented by Director, Training and Manpower Development of the agency, Mr Arinze Orakwue, said that NAPTIP is committed to activating lasting partnership with Anambra State to eliminate the issues under review.
She said that a larger percentage of trafficking and adoption crimes are committed by women, and suggested re-education plans to teach them the social dangers of child labour, battery and other domestic crimes.
The Anambra State Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Mrs Ify Obinabo was also present at the event.
