A non governmental organization, Female Inmates and Returned Citizens has commenced training of female inmates of the Correctional Centre in Abakaliki Ebonyi State capital as well as ex-female inmates on sanitary pad production.
The programme manager, Mr Godwin Ugbor said the purpose of the training was to create inclusive and safe space for all female inmates and returned citizens to have a voice to tell their stories and capacity to change their situation through advocacy, empowerment, re-integration and general welfare of their members.
Ugbor noted that the one month training for the first batch would commence in April this year.
He called on the state Comptroller of Correctional Centre to provide ten female inmates that would be trained in the first phase before stepping it down to other female inmates in the centre.
The training was with the support of Cardite Prisoners Interest Organization (CAPIO) and Misean Cara, Ireland.
Chukwuanu Okoli, the Communication Officer CAPIO said the skill acquisition programme was organized to help the female inmates shun crimes and other social vices in the society.
“This project is particularly for the female inmates on the production of sanitary pads as skills learning is a viable tools in keeping the inmates busy and have something doing after serving their terms,” he stated.
The Comptroller of Abakaliki Correctional Service Centre, Anthony Chigbata, noted that acquisition of skills by youths would help to curb crime and unemployment in the country.
He said once one has nothing doing, such a person was prone to crime and urged youths to go into skill acquisition to keep them busy to avoid crime.
Chigbata urged the federal government to support youths through provision of funds after acquiring skills to enable them become self reliant.
He assured that the centre would support the training of the female inmates to make them self-reliant and reduce unemployment in the society.
“We are willing and the inmates will be happy to be trained on sanitary pad production. The programme will help in so many ways apart from learning it here, when they are freed, they will develop the skills they acquired while in prison.
“Once you don’t have something doing, you are prone to commit crime but with this skills, the chances of this inmates commiting crime when they are freed will reduce to the nearest minimum and it will help the society.
“Get rich quick syndrome is eating deep into our youths but they forget that white collar job is not the only job one can do to become successful.
“Youths should engage in farming and diversify but my message to the federal government is that when they learn these skills, they may not have the capital to start because it is capital-intensive. So, I encourage the federal government to support the youths to achieve their aims through empowerment to curtail joblessness in the society,” he stated.
