By Fatima Mohammed-Lawal
The International Women Communication Centre (IWCC) has urged the government to take immediate action on environmental and gender-related challenges.
Dr. Limota Goroso-Giwa, the Executive Director of the International Women Communication Center (IWCC) made the call in a communique signed at the end of a one-day media engagement in Ilorin.
The programme is entitled: “Media Engagement on Climate Action Training for Media and Community Volunteer Monitors to Popularize the Role of Women in Mitigation Against Climate Action “.
She explained that the engagement focuses on three thematic areas such as climate change and role of women, Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Beijing conference after 30 years.
According to her, the programme is to harvest knowledge of stakeholders and proffer solutions to improve the challenges of the three themes.
Goroso-Giwa emphasized the need for policies discouraging deforestation, but promoting tree planting, and ensuring access to affordable clean energy.
She advocates for the introduction of “Operation Feed Yourself” initiative to enhance food security and the return of local sanitary inspectors (Wole-Wole) to improve public hygiene.
The executive director of IWCC who observed the need to address sanitation concerns, highlighted the urgent need for more public toilets to curb open defecation and improve public health.
She stressed that improving public hygiene infrastructure would significantly reduce health risks and promote a cleaner environment.
Similarly on GBV, the IWCC called for the criminalization of ritual killings and urged religious leaders to promote morality while discouraging materialism in their teachings.
She also emphasized the need to educate male children on the implications of GBV and recommended the introduction of guidance and counseling programs in schools.
“There is need to encourage good co-parenting and the regulation of social media content that promotes ritualism and harmful social vices should,” she appealed.
Reviewing the achievements of the Beijing Conference, 30 years after its inception, she noted that there is progress in girl-child education, women’s political representation, and economic empowerment.
Goroso-Giwa however raised concerns over the persistent rise in GBV, the increase in single-motherhood, high youth unemployment, and the failure to meet the 35 percent benchmark for women’s political appointments.
She therefore called on the United Nations and other global organizations to invest more in women’s economic empowerment.
“There is need for stronger measures to boost women’s participation in politics and leadership roles, and reduction of poverty among women,” she said.