From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Benue State government has called for collective action to protect the girl child and amplify their voices to get the support they need to thrive.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Theresa Ikwue, made this call on Saturday, October 11, 2025, in a chat with newsmen while speaking on the activities of the state to mark the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child.
Ikwue, who highlighted steps taken by the state government to meet the unique needs of the girls in Benue, advocated for the urgent need to support safe spaces where girls can connect, learn, and get support.
The Commissioner said the state government, through her ministry, has sustained collaboration with various development partners including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and recently partnered with the British High Commission to augment services in cases of sexual and gender-based violence to which girls are most vulnerable.
She acknowledged that adolescent girls have the right to safety, education, and healthy living because they possess the potential to change the world both as mothers, mentors, household heads, and as political leaders.
She said investing in them would not only enable them to break boundaries posed by stereotypes and exclusion but create a world that is relevant for them to contribute to societal growth.
She appealed to parents to always prioritise the upbringing of their female children even when they have to be away to fend for the households, adding that those who pose as family members, friends, colleagues, or neighbours are the ones to whom girl children are mostly vulnerable.
Ikwue also encouraged the public to report suspected cases of violations against the girls for immediate action.
She reassured adolescent girls at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps of unrelenting efforts by authorities to resettle them back home to rebuild their lives with dignity, evident in the recent launch of the Benue State Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) policy by Governor Hyacinth Alia.
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