Cross River State Government has raised the alarm over enslavement of the girl-child in the state.
The alarm was raised while speaking on a talkshow 'The Conversation’ penultimate week in Calabar, where the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs. RoseMary Archibong lamented the rate at which girls are being enslaved in the state.
According to her, "There is a local government area in this state where this obnoxious practice is rampant. It is a culture where babies are sold and later used as slaves,” she said.
As a mother, the lawyer further regretted that when these babies grew up, they are contracted out into marriages which they are not interested and and subsequently enslaved by the purported husbands and others.
“We have young girls who are being enslaved into this kind of arrangement and it was against their will and it is something that has to be discontinued.
“So, we have engaged the leaders of the communities, we have engaged the political leaders, that this practice must stop as it is affront to the right of women and it’s insulting and debasing,” she stated.
She noted that quiet a number of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) were working with a view to putting a stop to this obnoxious practice against womenfolk in the state.
“We began a journey three years ago, the first year was based on planning and preparations, the second was on the provision of real projects while the third year was to reappraise our performance.
“We now feel that it is time to showcase our works to the whole world. Today, we began what we call The Conversation; it is a package by Ministry of Information where we relate with the media, opinion leaders across the state.
“Government would present her achievements on various sectors to the public and the public would equally ask questions on the grey areas and clarifications would be provided. So far, it has been extremely fulfilling,” she stated.
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