Group Intensifies Campaign Against Child Abuse
The Stand For Humanity Foundation, a civil society organization, on Saturday July 4 intensified its campaign against child abuse by organizing a walk in Owerri, Imo State.
Participants, including lawyers, journalists, security personnel, medical practitioners, students, artisans, and business leaders, gathered at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri and traversed several streets in the state capital to raise awareness and advocate for the cessation of child abuse.
Chidiebube Okeoma, the founder of the organization, emphasized that the increasing incidents of child abuse in society necessitated the awareness campaign.
Okeoma condemned the abuse of a 12-year-old girl by a 63-year-old man, a seven-year-old girl by a 73-year-old man, the dehumanization of a five-year-old girl by her 38-year-old guardian, and the abuse of a four-year-old girl by a 64-year-old man.
He announced that the organization is collaborating with the Imo State Police Command, the Owerri Branch of the Nigeria Bar Association, the Imo State Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association, the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Vulnerable Groups, the Imo State Health Insurance Agency, the Office of the Special Adviser on Youth Affairs to the State Governor, and other key stakeholders to address this pressing issue in the state.
Audu Bosso, the Commissioner of Police in the state, commended the organization for mobilizing critical stakeholders to advocate for the rights of all children.
Represented by the command’s spokesperson, Henry Okoye, the Commissioner affirmed the police’s commitment to partnering with the organization to eradicate all forms of child abuse in the state.
Ekezie Onumajulu, the Vice Chairman of the Owerri Branch of the Nigeria Bar Association and Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the branch, stated that the NBA will collaborate with the organization to combat child abuse in the state.
Other agencies, including the Imo State Health Insurance Agency, and the Nigerian Medical Association, also praised the Stand For Humanity Foundation and pledged their support for its initiatives aimed at mitigating child abuse in the state.
Dr. Emeka Nwolisa, a chief consultant pediatrician at the Federal University of Technology Teaching Hospital in Owerri and the resource person for the rally, characterized child abuse as a profound injustice to humanity.
