The wife of the Anambra State Governor, Dr Nonye Soludo, has called on women to use the 2026 Annual August Meeting to address the growing abuse, neglect and exploitation of domestic workers, particularly children.
In a statement issued by her media aide, Daniel Ezeigwe, Dr Soludo urged participants to expand discussions beyond community development projects and social activities to include practical measures for protecting vulnerable children and promoting responsible caregiving.
She expressed concern over reports of physical assault, starvation, torture and emotional abuse suffered by domestic workers, many of them minors, warning that such practices threaten family values and child welfare.
Dr Soludo noted that the Annual August Meeting, a major socio-cultural gathering of Igbo women, has long served as a platform for promoting community development, peacebuilding, family welfare and cultural values. She said it should also address emerging social challenges affecting families and children.
She stressed that children working in homes deserve dignity, compassion and protection, regardless of their circumstances.
“The young girl who helps in your home is somebody’s daughter before she becomes your maid. She deserves dignity before duty, compassion before correction, and protection before punishment. Violence can never be a tool for raising a child or managing a household,” she said.
The First Lady called on women leaders, faith-based organisations and community stakeholders to include child protection, responsible caregiving, conflict resolution and the rights of domestic workers in their August Meeting deliberations.
She also urged communities to establish effective mechanisms for early intervention, reporting and support for victims, emphasising that abuse should be prevented rather than condemned only after it occurs.
Dr Soludo warned that children often imitate behaviours they observe at home, cautioning that normalising violence within families could perpetuate cycles of abuse across generations.
She expressed confidence that stronger community commitment to protecting vulnerable children and promoting family values would make the Annual August Meeting an even more effective platform for fostering safer homes, stronger communities and a more compassionate society.
