The interaction between Nigerian women and the 74th Secretary General of the United Nations General Assembly was convened by the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Paulen Tallen.
The event which tool place at the Women Development Center Abuja was attended by women from the different sectors including the Senior Special Adviser to the president on Women Affairs Dr. Hajjo Sani, DG National Center for Women Development, wife of Ekiti state governor Erelu Bisi Fayemi, Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Sadiya Umar Farouk, former Minister of Women Affairs Iyom Josephine Anenih and the Country Representative of UN Women Comfort Laptey.
Also in attendance were women from civil society, medical practitioners, relgious groups and market women. In her opening remarks, the Minister for women affairs thanked the UNGA Secretary for honouring the invitation. “With you at the UN we believe that so much will be achieved to advance the course of Nigerian women”. She lamented the situation of Violence in the North East where women and girls have been greatly affected and called for more action on restoring peace to the area.
She mentioned that Nigeria has one of the best Action Plans on Women Peace and Security but lacks adequate finance for full implementation.
She said the ministry will be looking forward to the UNGA president’s support to make it a reality. She added that on the global level, there is need for Nigerian women to tap into the capacity building opportunities offered by the UN.
The Country Representative of UN Women, Comfort Lamptey called on all stakeholders to take strategic steps towards making Nigeria a violence free nation. The Chairperson, Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Sen. Betty Apiafi promised to push for all bills that promote the rights of women to be prioritised at the National Assembly.
Addressing the gathering, Professor Tijjani Umar Bande noted his excitement to see women from different sectors come together. “The notion that women cannot unite to advance their cause is not true. We cannot achieve any SDG if we do not put inclusion of women at the center of what we do”. He noted that the impact of conflict on women and girls makes it absolutely necessary to address the issues that affect them. He emphasised on the importance of advocating for policies that seek to promote the rights of women and girls. “Let me assure you all that everything we do to enhance the cause of the 74th UNGA will include women”.
Erelu Bisi Fayemi called for a declaration of a state of emergency on rape and other forms of sexual exploitation. She added that community engagement and ownership of initiatives to end violence against women and girls is necessary. She moderated the session where a few women also made contributions to the issues raised. Some of the comments include:
* Education and awareness creation
*Parents should teach boys to respect women and girls and seek consent
* Hospitals should be better equipped to carry out all round assessment of rape and assault victims
* States should domesticate the VAPP act and ensure offenders are punished.
* States should set up Sexual Assault Referal Centers
The event ended with a candle light procession in honour of women and girls who have lost their lives as a result of gender based violence.
Report:
Amina Mohammed
FOR: MMAWT L.I
25/11/2019
