‘90 per cent of female prisoners pregnant, nursing mothers’

The National Council of Women’s Society (NCWS) has disclosed that 90 per cent of female prisoners in the country were either pregnant or nursing mothers.

The society’s president, Mrs. Gloria Shoda, made the disclosure yesterday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital at the inauguration of new executives.

She appealed to the Federal Government to formulate policies to protect female prisoners. She also urged the National Human Rights Commission to intervene to stop all forms of discrimination against female prisoners who are awaiting trial.

According to her, assisting women with the relevant skills could help in building a better society.She said: “It is only when women are considered as the center of development that the economy could be better developed.

“We urge government to integrate gender into its developmental agenda by including them in public policy and governance. Women and girls are facing so many unpleasant challenges in the country. Everyday, the newspapers report incidents of violence against them even in the internally displaced persons camps.”

She urged them to embrace the nationwide slogan of “change begins with me,” to support one another.