By Obinna Ogbonnaya
Abakaliki – European Union (EU), United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Ebonyi State have condemned the use of girls by their parents to amass wealth.
They said many parents in a bid to amass wealth sell their girls to the highest bidder and lamented that such girls are often exposed to sexual violence and other forms of violence against women.
During an advocacy dialogue with executives of Women Faith-based Organisation for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Girls and Children in Ezza South local government of the state, UNICEF desk officer in NOA, Mr Uchenna Unah, said the advocacy dialogue was organised to sensitise the participants on the dangers of violence against women, girls and children and the need to always report such cases to the relevant authorities.
Unah said the organisers have continued to champion the campaign against violence against women, adding that though the campaign has yielded fruits, there was still need for more enlightenment campaigns in churches, schools and communities to ensure the reduction of violence in the society.
In his presentation, the Ebonyi State coordinator, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr. Onyekachi Nworie, warned parents against seeing the girl child as object for amassing wealth.
Mrs. Ngwoke Anthonia, president, Catholic Women Organisations (CWO), St Camelus Catholic Church Idembia, commended the organisation for the dialogue and called on women to lead the cause for the elimination of huge financial burden on people getting married to their daughters.
“It is the way you take yourself that people will address you, as we go home now we will try to counter the motion that we are not objects, we are human beings and need to be respected, nobody should take us as property in the house, or a group that can be taken anyhow, we need to be handled with care,” she said.