In a bid to achieve zero tolerance for child abuse in Enugu State, the State Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development is partnering the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to train community-based child protection structure representatives.
The training programme, that was officially kicked off on July 22 at the Ashishi-Owo Civic Centre in Nkanu East Local Government Area, aims to build the capacity of 160 child protection volunteers drawn from106 communities across three pilot LGAs of Nkanu East, Udenu, and Udi.
Ngozi Enih, commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, represented by Nkechi Beatrice Ewo, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, said the initiative was to demonstrate the state government’s strong commitment to protecting children and eradicating abuse in all its forms in the state.
“The prevalence of violence against children is rising on daily basises , children are being molested, Abused evey now and then, child labour, and other harmful practices. If we do not act now, the children who are meant to be tomorrow’s leaders may be lost and nothing to write home about,” she said.
She emphasized that the Ministry has the mandate to protect children, hence it welcomed the UNICEF-led initiative of the training program as a timely and vital intervention, which was fully endorsed by the state governor, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah,
Victor Atuchukwu, UNICEF Child Protection Specialist at the Enugu Field Office, said the partnership is designed to strengthen child protection services at the grassroots by equipping community volunteers with the necessary knowledge and skills.
“We are starting with 160 community-based child protection volunteers drawn from 106 communities. The training will be conducted in clusters of up to 50 participants. Nkanu East LGA has 35 communities, Udenu has 30, and Udi comprises 40 communities,” he explained.
According to Atuchukwu, the five-day training will help volunteers understand the core concepts of child protection, prevention strategies, reporting and how to respond to abuse cases effectively.
“The aim is to ensure that every relevant stakeholder—vigilante members, market leaders, women leaders, traditional rulers, and religious figures—can identify, respond to, and report incidents of child abuse. We want them to act, not remain silent,” he stated.
He further noted that the three pilot LGAs were strategically selected from each senatorial district in Enugu State to ensure inclusive representation. He expressed optimism that the success of the programme would encourage the government to scale up the initiative to cover all 17 LGAs.
“No child deserves to suffer abuse in any community in Enugu State,” Atuchukwu added.
