By Fatima Mohammed-Lawal
Dr Amina El-Imam, the Kwara Commissioner for Health has submitted that violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in Nigeria.
The commissioner stated this in Ilorin during her keynote address at a meeting tagged: “Stakeholders Engagement on Advocacy and Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWAG).
The programme is an initiative of Stand To End Rape Initiative (STER) with the support of Ford Foundation, and the Kwara Government.
She stated that there is need to continue to invest in transforming social norms, addressing unequal gender power relations in the state
El-Imam pointed out the need to match words with actions, adding that the state will continue to be at the forefront of advocating and preventing violence against women and girls.
She encouraged parents to empower their children with education, adding that the economy empowerment is very crucial in tackling violence against women and girls in the country.
The commissioner commended Gov. AbdulRazaq for prioritizing women and girls welfare, as well as providing enabling environment for partners, agencies, NGOs to operate in the state.
Also speaking, the Kwara Commissioner for Communication, Mrs. Bola Olukoju, charged all stakeholders to speak out against any act of violence against women to stop the menace in society.
Olukoju stated that communication is key in the reduction of the menace in our society, and that without communication people will not know what to do and how to seek for help.
On her part, the Kwara Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Abosede Buraimoh, stated that the government is working immensely to reduce the menace in the state.
She explained that the ministry is saddled with the responsibilities to protect and promote rights of women and girls in the state.
According to her, they have been working with the civil society groups to put stop to Gender Base Violence (GBV).
Earlier in her remarks, the representative of Stand To End Rape Initiative, Dr Mercy Kwabe explained that the stakeholders engagement was coming at the end of two-days training of communities and religious leaders in the state.
Kwabe explained that the community leaders have been trained on how to sensitized their people and mitigate causes of GBV in their communities.
She explained that STER is a leading youth-led and award-winning organisation that is focused on advancing gender equality and employing innovative interventions to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence in all spheres within country.
“The organisation will continue to do more to support the stakeholders towards the overall goal of advocating for the rights of all persons especially women and girls towards achieving a world free of violence and discrimination in all its forms,” she said.
