Abia to intensify campaign against child labour, trafficking, says Ikpeazu

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State says  the state government is committed to intensifying its fight against child labour and trafficking to eradicate all forms of violence against children.
The governor, represented by his deputy, Mr Ude Oko-Chukwu, made the position known on Saturday during the 2017 Children’s Day celebration at Ibeku High School, Umuahia.
The theme for the celebration was “Child Protection and the Sustainable Development Goals :Issues and Opportunities”.
Ikpeazu said the state government had adopted a holistic approach to sustain and strengthen its efforts to protect Abia children from exploitation.
He said the state  would not relent in providing better living and greater access to quality healthcare for every child in Abia.
He said that the provision of qualitative education for Abia children remained top priority on the development agenda of the state government.
The governor said “Abia has passed the Child Rights Act into law” and that his administration would ensure that the law  would be fully implemented.
He said that the state government would continue to demonstrate strong commitment to the welfare of children by embarking on innovative programmes to secure their future.
Earlier, the Director of Child Development in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs Esther Obinya, said  the theme for the celebration highlighted the connection between children’s rights and the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).
Obinya said children still suffered abuse, neglect, preventable diseases and unequal access to education.
She added that often the justice system did not recognise children’s special needs.
She urged stakeholders to come up with strategies to guarantee the rights of children and the achievement of SDGs in Nigeria by 2030.
The celebration was marked with march past, tug of war, drama, dance competition and  games by children from schools in the state.