Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development

10/07/2026

10/07/2026

The end is actually here

01/07/2026

Twenty eight Ebonyi children between the ages of 6 to 20 years old, including a toddler who were repatriated from Anambra State by the Commissioner for Women Affairs Mrs Esther Chinyere Onyekesi, were received by the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Barr Mrs Felicia Nwankpuma at the Remand Home, Ugwuachara, Abakaliki. According to the social welfare officer, Obiora John Kingsley, the children were rescued from a child labour syndicate using them for hawking in Nnewi.
Barr. Nwankpuma however assured that the children will undergo rehabilitation through skill acquisition to enable them acquire skills for sustenance,
while those of school age will be enrolled into schools to acquire basic education through the free education made available by His Excellency, the Governor of Ebonyi State, Rt Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, who has created an enabling environment for children to thrive in the state. She equally noted that the Ministry will collaborate with the LGA Chairman to identify and reunite them with their families.
Twenty four of the children are from Ikwo LGA, while four are from Ezza south LGA

08/06/2026

Ebonyi State Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Development, in collaboration with UNFPA, conducted its bi-annual State GBV technical working Group (TWG) and data validation meeting.
The meeting, which was focused on data validation and reviewing of GBV activities, had in attendance stakeholders from different sectors, including health, education, and justice, as well as NGOs, CSOs, and other line ministries

In her welcome remark, the Hon. Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Barr. Mrs Felicia Nwamkpuma thanked the partners for attending the meeting.
The commissioner who was represented by the HOD Administration, Comrade Charles Nwali noted that the meeting was to review the activities of the TWG, profer solutions to some of the problems encountered and mapping out a way forward to tackle the issue of GBV in the State.
He further advised the partners to report cases promptly and refer those they can not handle to the Ministry.
He stated that the Ministry through the Social Welfare Department has handled and settled several family issues while citing an ongoing case regarding the r**e of a year old baby girl by her biological father. Comrade Nwali, therefore, emphasized the need for validation of GBV data collection and urged the stakeholders to always collaborate with the Ministry in their efforts to achieve a GBV- free state.
Also speaking, the HOD women Affairs department and project Director, Mrs Nwakaego Igboke, highlighted the objectives such as to review and validation of GBV data Collection for the past period, progress assessments of the implementation of GBV prevention and response activities in the state, strengthenig coordinaton and collaboration among Stakeholders in achieving GBV FREE society amongst others.

She equally encouraged timely submission of required data and updates for appropriate documentation and references.

The meeting reviewed reported GBV cases and service delivery outputs by various sectors, and according to reports gathered, GBV cases are still actively engaging and are affecting at an alarming rate the educational institutions, including secondary schools and universities.
Reports also highlighted the violation and denial of rights women face in society, especially regarding inheritance and incidents of r**e.
Partners, however, reaffirmed commitment to coordinated and improved data collection and reporting but reported significant financial constraints hindering their work.
In their separate goodwill messages, Hon. Margaret Nworie Rev. Flora Egwu and Goodness Mgbaja, representing different institutions, stressed the necessity of data collection and therefore appealed for increased government budgetary allocation to combat these problems.