Anambra Stakeholders Unite Against Domestic Servitude and Child Marriage: A Call for Systemic Change

By Lucy Osuizigbo-Okechukwu

Awka, Dec. 16, 2025 (NAN) – In a landmark convergence of political will, legal authority, and community leadership, stakeholders across Anambra State have issued a powerful, unified call for the eradication of two deeply entrenched social ills: domestic child servitude and early/forced marriage. This collective demand emerged from a policy briefing organized by the Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) in collaboration with the Women and Child Justice Initiative Nigeria (WOCIJN), signaling a potential turning point in the state’s child protection landscape.

The briefing, held in Awka, moved beyond mere condemnation to a strategic dialogue aimed at dismantling the systemic foundations of these abuses. The gathering’s diverse composition—including law enforcement, legal practitioners, government ministries, faith leaders, and civil society—underscored a critical understanding: no single entity can solve this crisis alone.

Defining the Twin Evils: More Than Just Harmful Practices

Rev. Sister Teresa Anyabuike of AFJN provided crucial definitions that frame these issues as severe human rights violations. Early and Forced Child Marriage, she clarified, is not merely a cultural tradition but the practice of marrying girls, and sometimes boys, before the age of 18, fundamentally stripping them of consent and autonomy. Domestic Servitude was defined as the exploitative use of children for household labor, characterized by excessive hours, negligible or no pay, and severe restrictions on movement—a form of modern slavery often hidden in plain sight within private homes.

“These are not isolated problems,” Anyabuike emphasized. “They are interlinked engines that perpetuate vicious cycles of poverty, illiteracy, and gender inequality. A girl forced into marriage is denied education and economic opportunity, which in turn increases the vulnerability of her own children. A child in servitude loses their childhood and future potential, cementing intergenerational disadvantage.” She highlighted the profound psychological scars, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, that haunt survivors long after the physical ordeal may have ended.

The Enforcement Gap and the Community’s Role

A key insight from the dialogue was the identification of a critical enforcement gap. Inspector Onyekachi Onuoha of the Nigerian Police Force presented a sobering reality: “The police cannot enforce child rights laws in the vacuum of a silent community. These crimes thrive in secrecy and social complicity. Our efforts to rescue children and prosecute perpetrators are often hamstrung by families unwilling to report or communities that normalize abuse.” Her call to action was clear: “Silence is complicity. We must collectively challenge the norms that allow these menaces to fester.”

Unmasking the Deception: From Promise to Exploitation

The discussion provided chilling, concrete examples of how exploitation operates. Legal practitioner Mrs. Nnenna Anozie and FIDA Chairperson Mrs. Amara Muojeke detailed the common, deceptive narrative: a relative or agent approaches a struggling family in a rural area, promising a child (often a girl) education, care, and opportunity in the city. “The reality,” Anozie stated, “is a life of unending drudgery. These children become domestic slaves—cooking, cleaning, and caring for other children from dawn until late night, denied schooling, adequate food, or rest. Their freedom is vanished; their dignity is obliterated. Some are physically beaten, others sexually molested, and tragically, some lose their lives.”

Muojeke issued a direct plea to parents and guardians: “Verification is an act of love. You must know and continuously check on the conditions where your child is placed. The promise of a better life is often a trapdoor into a nightmare.”

A Blueprint for a Protective Ecosystem

The workshop transcended problem-identification to outline a multi-pronged blueprint for change, championed by figures like Mrs. Eucharia Anekwe of the Child Protection Network:

1. Strengthened Legislation & Policy: Advocating for the full implementation and, where necessary, strengthening of existing child rights laws, with clear protocols for intervention.
2. Community-Led Sensitization: Participants pledged to become ambassadors in their communities, using faith institutions, town unions, and local gatherings to reframe these practices not as tradition but as abuse.
3. Inter-Agency Collaboration: The presence of Ministries of Health, Women Affairs, Social Development, and Justice points to a planned, coordinated response linking social services, healthcare for survivors, legal aid, and law enforcement.
4. Economic Empowerment: Implicit in the dialogue was the need to address the root economic desperation that forces families to send children away, advocating for poverty-alleviation programs.

The unity displayed in Awka marks a significant step. The path forward requires translating this stakeholder consensus into sustained action, funding, and political will. The goal, as summarized by Rev. Sister Anyabuike, is audacious yet essential: “to create a holistic, protective ecosystem where every child in Anambra can grow up safe, educated, and free to dream.” The workshop’s true success will be measured not by the pledges made in the room, but by the tangible decline in cases and the restoration of stolen childhoods in the years to come.

The workshop brought together representatives from the Ministries of Health, Women Affairs and Social Development and Justice, traditional and religious leaders. (NAN) www.nannews.ng

LCO/VIV
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Edited by Vivian Ihechu