Juliana Francis
A human rights organisation, Esther Child Rights Foundation, has concluded plans to sensitise residents of Imo State on the importance of knowing their fundamental rights as citizens of Nigeria.
The organisation, which has offices in Lagos and Imo states, earlier this year, had an event in Imo State, where it interacted with members of some selected communities.
The findings during that interaction gave birth to the forthcoming sensitise programme taking place on 29th of July 2023 in Umudumagra Anaraisi Ala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, with the theme: “Know Your Right Empowerment.”
The Chief Executive Officer of the Esther Child Rights Foundation, Ms Esther Ekwem, said the sensitisation programme will help residents of selected communities to know their rights, and release them from bondage and slavery.
Ekwem, who is passionate about issues relating to human rights and justice, said that she wanted Imo State citizens to know that a human rights organisation has berthed in the state and that activists from the organisation were ready to fight for them.
According to her, her findings also showed that child marriages, child labour, and human rights violation, among other infractions, were frequent occurrences in the eastern part of Nigeria.
She also said: “ I travelled sometimes ago to Imo State to carry out an awareness programme and it was then it dawned on us that most of the indigenes in the communities we went do not know their rights with many of them asking us what we meant by human rights.
“Our forthcoming sensitisation programme will be about educating and helping them to know their rights. The fact is that, when people do not know their rights, anyone can trample on them, hold them in bondage and continue to violate them.
“Aside from our forthcoming sensitisation programme, we are hoping to be carrying out monthly seminars to create further awareness, gather people together and talk to them about the importance and significance of knowing their rights.
“We are targeting women, men, and children, old and young. When I travelled recently to the east to carry out the awareness programme, I was shocked to see young pregnant girls and many with babies. It simply broke my heart to see children nursing children. We need to work together with members of the communities to fight these ills and begin to get justice for those whose rights had been violated.”
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