Group charges FG on women’s right

An advocacy group, Nigerian Feminist Forum has called on the Federal Government and all stakeholders to adopt public policies that will protect and enhance the rights of women and girl child.

The group also charged Nigerians to work together to end the increasing violence against women and girl child as well as the fight against Sexual and Gender based Violence (SGBV).

Speaking with newsmen in Lagos, the group urged government at all level as well as Nigerians to stern the tide of violent crimes against women and children in the country.  

The group also commended the effort of the Nigerian governor’s forum and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in the declaration of the state of emergency and the recently inaugurated presidential inter-ministerial committee on Sexual and Gender based Violence (SGBV),

Speaking at the event, one of the coordinators, Chinonso Okechukwu commended the effort of women related NGOs, which were in the front-runners of the feminist movement in the country.  

She said: “Nigerian women are not monolithic or homogenous. We are not all short, fat and round. Women’s rights activists, women organizations and women movements have all been at the forefront of the effort to advance gender equality. They were the first to push authorities to take women’s rights seriously.”

She admonished the state government, religious leaders as well as tribal leaders to do more to stop the increasing violence against women and children in the country.

A member of the forum and gender expert, Mrs Iheoma Obibi in her remarks, said the name feminist is one that has been highly misunderstood by Nigerians, adding that the movement is not one that seek to break the home or family structure within the culture, but one that seeks to protect and enhance the family within the context of the family. 

“We must never undermine the role of feminism in our society. The impact of feminist academic research and activism has been constructively far reaching. 

“We have active discussions centered around sexual violence and the reason why it is happening. What are the solutions and what public policies do we need to enable societies treat women and girls better?” She asked. She added that all the acts and laws against sexual violence Nigeria are good but regretted that the enforcement has been poor.