27th July, 2014
Women from all the Igbo-speaking states converged on Enugu on Saturday to brainstorm on the way to stop baby factories from operating in the region.
The meeting themed “The Baby Factory Conundrum” was organised by two non-governmental organisations, Africa and Media, and drew the cream of women from the zone.
In a presentation, UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking, Dr Joy Ezeilo, regretted that the laws in the concerned states were obsolete and needed reforms.
She said that most people arrested in the course of the campaign to stop baby factories often found loopholes in the obsolete laws to escape punishment.
She advised the Igbo to stop discriminating against the girl-child in terms of inheritance, saying it gave rise to rampant cases of illegal adoption.
In her contribution, a former Minister of Education, Prof. Chinwe Obaji, said the issue of baby factories debased womanhood and was evil.
Obaji said it also showed that women had lost their duties as parents, saying that any woman who closely monitored her children would not allow them to reside in a baby factory.
Also speaking, Prof. Theresa Kanno of the Abia State University said there was a need to educate parents on the evils of baby factories.
The Commissioner for Gender Affairs and Social Development in Enugu State, Mrs Ndidi Chukwu, said there was a need for the government to sponsor the girl-child to skills acquisition programmes for self-sustenance.