Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has said that government has commenced efforts to review the existing policies against child bullying.
Nwifuru gave the hint on Tuesday, during the this year’s Children’s Day celebration, with the theme, “Stand Up, Speak Up: Building a Bullying-Free Generation.”
The governor, represented by Deputy Gov. Patricia Obila, frowned at the rampant cases of bullying in society and mandated the Commissioners for Education and Women Affairs to set up a committee to work out the modalities to review policies against bullying.
He said that the committee would introduce a help-line to assist victims and enable the appropriate authorities to take action.
He called on parents, teachers, and caregivers to always listen to children and gave assurance that the safety of children remained a top priority of his administration.
In a remark, the Wife of the Governor, Mary-Maudline, promised a safe learning environment for children and urged them to speak up in order to inspire change.
Nwifuru said that her foundation would be expanding mental health awareness by training teachers across the state to dictate bullying and take step to intervene.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Felicia Nwamkpuma, said a bullying-free generation is a collective action and urged children to speak up when molested in order to get justice.
The Speaker, Ebonyi Children Parliament, Victor Obasi, and his deputy, Elvis Nnanna, appreciated the governor for the children-friendly policies in the state, describing children’s needs as multi-dimensional.