The State legislator representing Ikwuano constituency at the Abia State House of Assembly,  Isienyi Boniface has presented a motion urging the Abia State government to regulate the operations of orphanage homes to curb  cases of child abduction and trafficking in the State.

Boniface, while leading a debate on the motion during the Plenary session, said that the orphanage homes are meant to provide care and shelter to vulnerable children who have been abandoned by their families or whose families are unable to care for them.

He, however, said there are reports that some of the orphanage homes in the State rather than provide care and shelter to vulnerable children in their facilities, allegedly indulged in child trafficking, abduction, exploitation and emotional or psychological violence against these children.

He said that  inability to effectively regulate the operations of orphanage homes were responsible for the sprouting of baby factories in the guise of orphanage homes, alleging that some orphanage homes in the State did  not conduct  background checks on their staff or volunteers before employment, thereby exposing the children in their facilities  to people of questionable characters.

Boniface said that the comprehensive regulation of the Ophanage homes by the Abia State Ministry of Women Affairs will provide  accurate data of children and the adoptive parents of all the children in various orphanage facilities, so as to ensure the safety of the children, as well as trace their whereabouts when necessary.

The lawmaker further urged the Abia State Ministry of Women Affairs to establish and enforce stringent requirements for license or permits for organizations seeking to register orphanage homes in Abia to forestall a situation where the homes would be used for evil activities when in operation.

The Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly,  Emmanuel Emeruwa, who thanked Boniface Isienyi for the presentation of the motion, concurred with his prayers.