Government of Nasarawa state has expressed concern over lack of support by victims’ families for the prosecution of rape cases in the state.
The concern was raised by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Aisha Rufa’i Ibrahim at a press briefing in commemoration of the 2022 Children’s Day celebration in Lafia yesterday, attributed it to the fear of stigmatisation by parents.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Strengthening Supportive Systems for the Protection of the Nigeria Child: A Call-up Call’, she said the menace of child trafficking was among issues disturbing the state.
Ibrahim, however, revealed that the state government has initiated a programme aimed at addressing the situation of vulnerable children, out-of-school children, children on the streets and those that are out of family care that do not have formal education.
“So we believe that this programme will take care of a lot of these issues such as almajiri, hawkers, youths who are out of school and do not have protection to safeguard their welfare and their wellbeing,” she added.