Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi says the state government has commenced efforts to review the existing policies against child bullying.

Mr Nwifuru gave a hint on Tuesday, during this year’s Children’s Day celebration, with the theme, “Stand Up, Speak Up: Building a Bullying-Free Generation.”

The governor, represented by Deputy Governor Patricia Obila, frowned at the rampant cases of bullying in society and mandated the commissioners for education and women’s affairs to set up a committee to work out the modalities for reviewing policies against bullying.

He said the committee would introduce a helpline to assist victims and enable the appropriate authorities to take action.

Mr Nwifuru called on parents, teachers, and caregivers to always listen to children and gave assurance that the safety of children remained a top priority of his administration.

In a remark, the governor’s wife, Mary-Maudline, promised a safe learning environment for children and urged them to speak up to inspire change.

Mr Nwifuru said her foundation would be expanding mental health awareness by training teachers across the state to detect bullying and take steps to intervene.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Felicia Nwamkpuma, said a bullying-free generation is a collective action and urged children to speak up when molested to get justice.

The speaker of the Ebonyi Children Parliament, Victor Obasi, and his deputy, Elvis Nnanna, appreciated the governor for the children-friendly policies, describing children’s needs as multidimensional.

(NAN)