Group, women seek advocacies on empowerment

Stand To End Rape (STER), in partnership with Cross River State Ministry of Women Affairs, has called on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the media to support the Special Seats Bill for women in politics in the National Assembly.

The Communication Officer, STER, Elfrida Adeleye, made the call at the weekend in Calabar, Cross River State during a town hall meeting on ‘Amplifying Women’s Representation in Politics with Special Focus on The Special Seats Bill.

According to Adeleye, the bill, if signed, will not only create space for women, but close the gender imbalance in the political space.

She also said the bill would create a platform where women and the vulnerable would be allowed to take part in decision-making and contribute to the growth and development of the nation.

She said: “We need the right people to work with to drive this message home; if the media, government representatives, politicians, CSOs, political leaders and faith-based organisations add their voices and support this course, women will be occupying valuable seats as well as making valuable contributions to politics, just like in law, nursing, medicine and other fields.”

The wife of the Governor of Cross River State, Eyoanwan Otu, in his remarks, said she had always been passionate about women development in politics and promised to support the advocacy. She was represented by the Special Assistant on NGOs (Office of the Wife of the Governor) Jeffery Adamade.

While the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Edema Irom, said the town hall meeting was apt, in commemoration of the 16 days activism to end gender-based violence; the state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Women Leader, Florence Inyang, frowned on women-not-supporting-women syndrome, and charged more women already in politics to carry others along.

Meanwhile, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) has given support to 50,000 GBV survivors In 22 states.

The gesture was carried out as the world marked ‘16 Days of Activism’.

RoLAC programme has helped more than 50,000 women, who have suffered from Gender-Based Violence (GBV) across 22 states in Nigeria, according to the programme’s latest report.

The programme aims to strengthen the rule of law, combat corruption, reduce gender-based violence and promote human rights.

Project Manager for Access to Justice and Coordinator of the Network of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs), Oluwatoyosi Giwa, confirmed, yesterday, that 47 SARCs across 22 states had assisted 51,127 survivors, with 39,992 of them being women.