The Trainees and officials at the training programme at Essien Town on Thursday.
By Anietie Akpan
In a deliberate effort to end violence against children (VAT), the Cross River state government, collaborating University of Calabar with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has flagged off training , certification, and deployment of Auxiliary Social Workers (ASW) in the state.
The training was organized by the University of Calabar in collaboration with Cross River State Ministry of Social Welfare and Community Development on the theme, “Strengthening the Social Service Workforce at the Community Level Through Certification and Development of Auxiliary Social Workers to Coordinate and Support Activities of Community Based Child Protection Structures in the Delivery of a Special Package of Child Protection Services (preventing and responding to violence a children) in All Communities in Calabar LGA”.
While flagging off the training programme at Essien Town Hall, Calabar On Wednesday 13, the Commissioner for Social Welfare and Community Development, Cross River State, Prof. Margaret Ene-Ita, said the structures are now better equipped to coordinate efforts towards the elimination of Violence Against Children (VAC) and to promote the wellbeing of children and women across our communities.
This event according to her, “marks yet another bold step in our collective commitment to strengthen social welfare structures and ensure that every child in our dear state is protected. cared for, and given the opportunity to thrive.
“As we are aware, the limited number of qualified social workers in Cross River State, compared with our vast population, has contributed to a gap in the provision of timely and quality care for vulnerable children”.
To address this challenge, she said the state government with support from UNICEF, has initiated a robust programme to strengthen community-based child protection structures.
These structures she noted, “are to be supported by an auxiliary social workforce to deliver a defined package of child protection services at both the household and community levels.
“This initiative is further reinforced by the political commitment of the Chairman of Calabar Municipal Local Government Area and other Local Government Chairmen in Cross River State who have committed to pay monthly stipends to the trained Auxiliary Social Workers across various communities within the state”.
The Commissioner for Social Welfare and Community Development, Cross River State, Prof. Margaret Ene-Ita (centre), UNICEF Chief of Field, Enugu office, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe (right) and UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, Victor Atuchukwu at the training programme.
For the pilot phase, Prof. Ene-Ita said, three LGAs (one from each senatorial district) have been selected to kick off the project and these are: Calabar Municipal (Southern Senatorial District); Yakurr (Central Senatorial District) and Obanliku (Northern Senatorial District).
She stated that in the course of implementation, all communities within these LGAS will be covered, based on the list of recognized communities obtained from the Department of Community Development, Ministry of Social Welfare and Community Development and ultimately, all 18 LGA in the State will benefit from this project.
The training of community-based child protection structures commenced in August 2025 in Calabar Municipality, she said noting that “Through the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Community Development, the Centre for Citizens’ Rights & Office of the Public Defender, and other partners with the invaluable support of UNICEF, we have successfully mobilized and strengthened existing community-based structures in 29 communities in Calabar Municipality.
“As we flag off this next phase which is the training of Auxiliary Social Workers, I am confident that it will further strengthen the social service workforce at the community level. It will enable them to effectively coordinate and support child protection activities, ensuring that every case of abuse, neglect, or exploitation is promptly addressed and that no child is left unprotected in Cross River State
“I wish to sincerely appreciate UNICEF for their unwavering partnership and support to the Government of Cross River State in safeguarding our children. I also extend heartfelt thanks to our partners; the University of Calabar, the Ministry of Local Government Affairs, the Centre for Citizens’ Rights and Office of the Public Defender for their collaboration and dedication to making Cross River State a safe and nurturing environment for every child”.
She urged all participants in the training to take the opportunity seriously. “You are about to be certified as Auxiliary Social Workers, agents of hope and defenders of children’s rights in your respective communities. I encourage you to commit wholeheartedly to this noble cause, to apply the knowledge you will gain here, and to serve with compassion, diligence, and integrity”.
On her part, the, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Enugu, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe, commended the Cross River state government, the Governor, First Lady, the Honorable Commissioner for Women and Child Affairs, the local government chairmanship, the traditional leaders, the academia, the community leaders and the community representatives who are part of ensuring that “we have enough capacity in terms of technical knowledge and also social knowledge and the networks on how we can effectively protect our children at household level and communities”.
She said, the role of UNICEF “is to ensure that every child’s right is attained, strengthening coordination and partnership whereby all the players, starting from the political leadership to the community leadership and household leadership, are aware and are actively protecting the attainment of rights for children”.
Chiluwe said so far, the effort of UNICEF has been a success considering that, “through our advocacy, we have been able to facilitate the leadership of the area local government chairmanship to put in resources, to put in finances for monthly payments to the auxiliary social workers. We’ve worked, and the other successful aspect is the sustainability of the system whereby the traditional leaders have been able to convene with the communities to select people that can represent and also advocate for child rights at community level.
“So this is a huge success because it’s community-based. These people are well-recognized in the communities. They are respected and the local leadership have a commitment that they will be paying for this work”.
She said the child, “has the right to education, the right to survive, the right to be protected, our girl children and the male children. There are all sorts of violence that are happening to our children in our communities. They need to have their voices , they need to have that protection.
“And our role is to ensure that these children are protected, their voices are heard, and before God and man, they are counted…we remain committed to this partnership with the states, mostly, but to ensure that every child’s right is attained”.
Dr Esther Uzoh of the Department of Social Work, University of Calabar. Representative of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, thanked UNICEF for providing the platform for the training and also the Ministry of Social Welfare and Community Development.
“We have to be responsible unto such children. So in as much as we are trying to raise and help social workers for every community”, she said “we are all responsible to all of the children in our various communities. And what do we mean by our community? It’s not because the same town is your local community. This is all about us”.
She implored the commissioner to consider the engagement of more social workers saying “in as much as we want to train our social workers. We have social workers graduates from the University who we have talked to before now. And we need to engage everybody because we need to work together.
“The harvest is large but the labourers few. But in as much as we keep graduating students from the department, we also need intentional social workers in our communities”.
Director of Social Welfare, Ministry of Social Welfare and Community Development, Mrs. Komomo Obeten, the Centre for Citizens Rights and Office of the Public Defender. Barr. Florence Agbiji, the Secretary, Essien town council Snr. Apostle Paul Asuquo, who represented the the Village Head of Essien Town , Chief Essien Inang Offiong, all appealed to the trainees to take the training seriously for the interest of children and the society.
Apostle Asuquo said that by so doing, “the future generation will find out that we have done them good”.
