The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen, has stated that Gender Base Violence is worse than the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tallen said this during the 59th session of the State House Press Briefing which was held on Thursday.
According to the minister, the “Pandemic of Gender Base Violence is worse than Covid-19 Pandemic” as women are being locked in by their abusers without assistance.
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During the briefing, she disclosed some key steps being taken by the Federal Government to bring about the speedy and healthy development of Nigerian women, and children, and main-streaming their rights and privileges in the national development process.
Tallen identified the education of a girl-child as one of the key priorities of the ministry, saying “it is top priority on my agenda. That’s why we work hand-in-hand with the ministry of education.
“Education of the girlchild is the greatest investment that will equip a woman in life. When you educate a woman, you are educating the family, the community and the society at large but when you educate a man, you are educating a single person.”
Quoting data from reportgbv.ng, the minister said, “the total reported cases (of GBV) are: 11,053, Fatal Cases: 401, Closed Cases: 592, Open Cases: 3,507 and Convicted Perpetrators: 33.”
She frowned on the low number of convicted perpetrators and called for improved justice system to enable speedy dispensation of justice against offenders, saying “justice delayed is justice denied”
The minister expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for his support toward the ministry’s empowerment projects for women.
“The state that first benefited from the 6 political zone was Ogun South-West, Niger for North-Central, Abia South-East, Taraba North-East, Kebbi North-East through the establishment of the women affinity group which the Federal Government disbursed over N3 million to 67358 women beneficiaries.”
Also empowered are the parents of kidnapped Chibok girls some of whose children are still in captivity.
“I appealed to Mr. president during the Covid-19 that there’s is need for intervention to empower the mother of this victims and Mr. president graciously released a handsome amount of money that was disbursed to these women, both food items and clothing for their children, and the parents of those that their children are yet to be released were not exempted, while efforts are in progress to endure that the remaining ones in captivity are released.”
Speaking further, she noted that the school where Chibok girls were abducted has been transformed after it was vandalized, stating that it was renovated by Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum.