The Benue State Government says it has strengthened social welfare services through improved child protection mechanisms, women empowerment initiatives and skills acquisition programmes across the state.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Theresa Ikwue, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
Ikwue, who spoke through the ministry’s Director of Women Affairs, Mrs Mimi Thion, said the administration of Gov. Hyacinth Alia had renovated and revitalised several social welfare facilities to improve support for vulnerable women and children.
According to her, the government renovated the Maimuna Kontagora Hostel to provide rehabilitation and skills acquisition opportunities for trafficked young women and children.
“The governor has renovated the Maimuna Kontagora Hostel to provide rehabilitation and skills acquisition opportunities for trafficked young women and children.
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“Trafficked children will be referred to appropriate facilities, while young women accommodated at the hostel will receive vocational training to help reintegrate them into society.
“The initiative is aimed at equipping beneficiaries to become self-reliant and reducing their vulnerability to trafficking,” she said.
The commissioner said the administration had also restored the operations of divisional social welfare offices in all 23 local government areas of the state, describing the development as the first of its kind in more than 20 years.
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She added that the Briquette Centre for Women, which had previously been non-functional, had been revitalised and was now accessible to women.
Ikwue said the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up had trained more than 3,600 women and organised beneficiaries into groups across the state’s three senatorial zones to enhance their economic empowerment.
She also said the Adolescent and Young Persons Project was providing vocational training and skills acquisition opportunities to young people across the state.
According to her, the government has designated schools under the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to provide free education opportunities for children.
She said the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare had also profiled out-of-school children in market areas to identify the factors preventing them from attending school and determine the interventions required to return them to the classroom.
“We want to know their needs, the reasons they are out of school and the factors that put them on the streets,” she said.
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Ikwue said the ministry was also working on the review and update of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law and the Child Rights Law to strengthen measures against perpetrators of violence and abuse.
She added that the state government was working towards establishing a sex offenders register and introducing measures for the public identification of convicted sex offenders.
According to her, the initiatives are intended to strengthen access to justice for survivors, improve protection for vulnerable people and reduce the risk of repeat offences.
The commissioner said the various interventions reflected the state government’s efforts to strengthen social protection, empower women and young people, and improve the welfare of vulnerable children across Benue State.
