Akwa Ibom convicts 20 for abuse of minors

No fewer than 20 persons have so far been convicted for alleged abuse of minors in Akwa Ibom State, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Dr. Glory Edet, has said.

The commissioner, who disclosed this in an interview in Uyo, said her ministry was intensifying efforts to secure convictions in other allied cases in order to stem incessant malpractices against children.

She explained that the child rights campaign, currently being propagated by her Ministry, “has helped to promote, protect and save Akwa Ibom children from various forms of abuses”.

Cases of abandoned children labelled by parents as witches have been rife in the state, forcing the state government, under former governor, Godswill Akpabio, to domesticate the Child Rights Law (CRL) in the State’s statutes book in 2010.

And working in tandem with the law, Mrs. Edet said the trial and conviction of the perpetrators was facilitated by the family courts established across the three senatorial districts of Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Eket.

She said her Ministry had struck a chord with the judiciary to train and empower court assessors, who, according to her, had assisted in dealing with the cases, as well as “to reintegrate and reunite the affected children with their families.”

To help the affected children to shake-off the trauma, the commissioner stated that the state government had established five rehabilitation homes that would take care of “the educational, social, spiritual and emotional well-being of the orphans and vulnerable children”.

Besides, she enjoined those involved in the formative years of children including parents, teachers, traditional rulers, religious leaders to continue to work assiduously to ensure a holistic upbringing of children in their care.

“The government does not only evacuate the affected children, but treat, rehabilitate and reintegrate them into their families”, she explained and charged other care-givers to complement.

She assured that the state government would continue to ensure effective implementation of policies and programmes tailored towards the promotion of the socio-economic lives of children, women and the aged.

The commissioner, therefore, solicited for more support and cooperation with the Governor Udom Emmanuel –led administration for more dividends of democracy to thrive.