Stakeholders Canvass More Women, Youth Rights Laws In Nigeria

The stakeholders at a two-day dialogue on Women’s Rights, Youth Development, and Media Advocacy, organized by Proactive Gender Initiative (PDI) with funding from the Ford Foundation in Abuja on Thursday said the country’s laws were not women and youth friendly and needed to be reviewed. 

Chairperson of the dialogue on Day One, Senator Binta Masi Garba, observed that “the conversation about the role of women and youth can never be enough. This is because of the enormous potential these group of people have to shape the destiny and direction of not only our country, but of all humanity.”

According to her, “It is common today to be put off by the myriads of issues that confront the girl-child and women which include but not limited to: Violence in the home; sexual harassment at school and work; rape and defilement; harsh and punitive widowhood rites; female Genital Mutilation (FGM); forced childhood marriages; sexual violence in conflict situations and during armed robbery attacks; enforcement of gender biased laws; discrimination against the girl-child; disinheritance of wives and daughters, and harmful traditional practices.

“But there is every reason to remain hopeful once we can continue to galvanize community action and join our voices to press home our demands on issues that concerns the woman and youth.”

The lawmaker who is the chairperson, Senate Committee on Women Affairs, noted that “despite the provisions of protocols, charters and conventions recognizing and guaranteeing rights of women and the obligations of the Nigeria government, the lives of Nigerian women is yet to attain a commensurate level of improvement. Women rank lower than men in all indices of development in the country.

“Nothing better demonstrates the inequality in the system than the fact that in the Senate of 109 Senators, ONLY six of us are women! This is by no means that we are inferior in contributing to debates and advancing bills for overall national growth and development.

“The urgency of time requires political parties to be more flexible in their conduct, timing and allocation of certain positions to the woman and youth if Nigeria is to build on all its citizens’ bloc. Our nation has come a long way since the days of the Aba Women’s Riot to now. It is only fitting therefore to expand the discourse and give everyone a stake in the Nigerian enterprise.”

Speaking earlier, the National Coordinator of PGI, Bar. Esther Uzoma, stressed that there is the imperative to look at laws concerning rape, women inheritance, political party participation, youth empowerment and married women in public office as the laws were arrayed in discriminatory manner.

She expressed the hope that the dialogue would proffer ways in which existing laws could be reviewed and create a more open and inclusive society for all Nigerians.