By Tunde Johnson, Abuja
A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Nigerian Women Decide, has called on the Federal Government and relevant agencies in the country to help put a halt to all forms of violence against women and girls in the country.
Omotose Egbefo, convener, Nigerian Women Decide made this call on Monday during a press briefing to commemorate the United Nations (UN) international day for the elimination of violence against women.
Egbefo called on the government and all relevant agencies to concentrate and adopt a more aggressive implementation policies and strict enforcement of laws already existing for the elimination of violence against women.
She said, ‘’Nigerian women demand that government and all relevant agencies should concentrate and adopt a more aggressive implementation policies and strict enforcement of laws already existing for the elimination of violence against women.’’
She noted that, the National Assembly threw away the bill, for the act to incorporate and enforce certain provision of the United Nation convention the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, the protocol of the African Charter on Human and Peoples rights, since two thousand six.
According to her, violence against women constitutes a violence of the rights and fundamental freedom of women and impairs their enjoyment and protection of these rights and freedom in political, economic, cultural and civil or any other field, adding that young girls are forced into early marriage and divorced women are not paid alimony and loose custody of their children.
‘’Government at all levels should create an enabling environment for women to participate in key decision making and be giving opportunity to air their views on National issues as it affects them.
‘’Government should give mere women opportunities to venture into politics at all levels by encouraging twining. That is where a male is the president, then a female should be vice president, and where a female is the governor, then a male should be the deputy governors and vice versa.
‘’ Government should include adequate resources in the budget for activities related to the elimination of violence against women and girls and measure ‘should be taken to ensure that the law enforcement and public officers saddled with the responsibility of implementing policies to prevent, investigate and punish violence against women receive adequate training on the needs of women,’’ she added.
