Makurdi — Head of the 'A' Field Office of the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF), Enugu, Mrs Pelusi Ntambirweki, has said that the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Child Rights Convention (CRC) would take place in Calabar on November 20.

Mrs Ntambirweki explained at the recently concluded review of UNICEF activities that Calabar was chosen for the celebration because of the state government's interest in thE implementation of the Child Rights Act and the struggle to remove the stigmatization of children dubbed witches.

She also said Cross River state has been working towards reducing child and maternal mortality and commended the governor's wife for championing the programme.

The assistant country representative of UNICEF said the state has evolved programmes for the protection of vulnerable children and noted that UNICEF was invited to make inputs into the 2010 budget so that it would be child centered. She disclosed that the governor's wife has de-warmed over 180,000 children in the state and thanked her for also fighting against gender discrimination.