REPORTER: UCHE NDEKE
The wife of the Anambra State Governor, Mrs Nonye Soludo, has charged women across the state to use this year’s Annual August Meeting as a platform to confront the disturbing rise in cases of violent abuse, molestation, neglect and inhumane treatment of domestic workers, particularly housemaids.
Mrs Soludo made the call in her message to mark the commencement of the 2026 August Meeting.
She urged women to deliberately shift part of their discussions from the traditional focus on community development projects and social activities to finding practical and lasting solutions to what she described as an emerging social and moral crisis.
The governor’s wife observed that recent reports of lethal physical assault, starvation, torture, emotional abuse and other degrading treatment meted out to housemaids, many of them minors, should trouble every conscientious mother.
While acknowledging that the August Meeting has over the years remained a powerful platform for advancing community development, promoting peace, strengthening families and preserving cherished religious and cultural values, Mrs Soludo stressed that it must also evolve to respond to pressing social realities, especially those within the domain of family and child raising.
She noted that no society can truly claim to uphold the sanctity of motherhood while turning a blind eye to the suffering of vulnerable children entrusted to families for guidance, protection and care.
Mrs Soludo therefore encouraged women leaders, presidents-general of women’s associations, faith-based organizations and community stakeholders to include conversations on child protection, responsible caregiving, conflict resolution and the rights of domestic workers in their August Meeting deliberations.
She stressed that communities should not merely condemn abuse after it occurs but should collectively build systems that encourage early intervention, reporting and support for victims.
The governor’s wife further reminded parents that children often learn by observation, warning that homes where violence is normalized risk raising another generation that sees cruelty as acceptable.
She urged women to deliberately instil empathy, patience and respect for human dignity in their homes, describing these virtues as the foundation of a peaceful and responsible society.
