The wife of Abia Governor, Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu, has called on governments, community based organisations, civil society organisations, human rights group, faith based organisations and other stakeholders in the society to devote more resources to developing, protecting and empowering the girl child.
Mrs. Ikpeazu made the call at a novelty match organised in Umuahia Township Stadium to kick out rape and other violence against the girl child in the state.
According to her, “today we are using the game of football to draw attention to rape, sexual violence and molestation of the girl child ” she said.
She further highlights the number of problems confronting the Nigeria girl child and her development directly or indirectly to includes sexual abuse, poor access to education, child labour, forced marriage, as well as discrimination in the family.
Again, we will be flagging off a workshop on gender policy development for Abia state, that policy document would ensure that Abia state is placed on track towards removing every barriers that are militating against women and the girl child.
However, the Governor’s wife advised the girl child to rise up and take advantage of the good opportunities available and warned that no matter how much family, the government and society provides for you, if you do not take personal steps to improve yourself and avoid such vices like drugs and prostitution, you will be limiting yourself.
In her speech, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Teenage Matters, and one of the conveners Mrs. Chinemenma Umesiaka, said that they decided to do something innovative and believes that with the novelty match rape and other forms of violence against the girl child can be kicked out of the society.
In her contributions, the Founder of Protect the Precious Foundation, Mrs. Nora Okafor, said that the side attractions of the novelty match is to bring an end to the domestic violence in the state.
Nora explained that the awareness is a demand on stakeholders to get justice and for us to get justice for the girl child all hands must be on deck, the government alone cannot do it, therefore, the family, faith based organisations, civil society group to work with government to ensure a justice system that is working.
