International Day of Families: Tallen challenges parents on upbringing, vices

The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen, has challenged parents over children’s upbringing and urged them to join the fight against vices such as abduction, currently bedevilling the nation.

She made the call in a statement on Saturday in Abuja to commemorate the 2021 International Day of Families, aimed at promoting awareness on issues relating to the well-being of families.

Proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 with resolution A/RES/47/237, the International Day of Families is observed on May 15 every year. The day reflects the importance the international community attaches to families.

The minister, therefore, stated that “we cannot forget those who in a bid to secure the release of family members from the hands of their captors, sold off everything due to increasing activities of bandits and kidnappers.

“I, therefore, call on fathers and mothers to join us in the fight against killings and abduction for ransom.

“Every bad egg out there causing mayhem is a product of a family. If we see something, let us say something to ensure that we win this fight, yes we can and the time is now.”

She reiterated the commitment of the ministry to support women empowerment at all levels, including education and agriculture.

She added that “we will continue to provide the necessary platform for women to thrive; we will focus on rural women who till the ground to provide food for families and contribute to sustaining the agriculture sector.”

She noted that the 2021 theme of the international day — “Families and New Technologies” — focuses on current realities, where the virtual space has become the new normal for engagements due to the COVID-19 pandemic.