NCWS Organises 16-day Activism To End Violence Against Women, Girls

The National Council for Women Societies (NCWS) Nigeria has organised 16 days of activism on violence against women and girls calling on the federal government and other relevant agencies to support the movement to end violence against women and girls in Nigeria.

The national president of NCWS, Hajiya Lami Adamu Lau made this call yesterday at the national conference to mark the 16 days of activism against women and girls violence, with the theme; “Unite! Activism To End Violence against Women and Girls,” organised by the NCWS in Abuja.

Lau said that according to a recent World Bank report, one in three women has experienced violence in one form or another, and that again a lot has happened to women in Nigeria with the increase in the activities of insurgents, bandits, and other criminal elements.

“This was worsened by the Covid-19 lockdown, and now most recently by the flooding that swept across the nation leaving more women and girls in distress. The IDPs camps have increased the vulnerability of women, girls, and children to violence. We can go on and on,” she said.

She further said that NCWS as the voice of Nigerian women and the umbrella body of all women’s groups recognised by the government, is advocating improved welfare, progress, and standard of living for women and families in Nigeria.

“We work hard to increase women’s access to leadership and decision-making, in order to ensure that women contribute to community development and national growth.

“The beauty of NCWS is in the fact that every woman is a member, therefore we can safely say that NCWS is the largest network of women in Nigeria. Over the years, and with each succeeding leadership, NCWS has deepened our values and broadened our engagements to cover all known gender issues in Nigeria.

“The 16 days of activism 2022, is an important date in our calendar. It allows us to start discussions on one of the issues of serious concern to women and girls. The horrifying statistics of this human tragedy leave a sour taste in the mouth,” she said.

The NCWS president also said that the National Conference is its contribution to finding lasting solution to gender violence, saying that at the end of their engagement, all the women’s organisations and associations and affiliates present would have become better equipped for community organising towards ending gender-based violence in line with the global theme for this year.

“Nigerian women and girls have the right to live free from violence. We have carefully planned this conference,  to bring together Nigerian women from across the nation under one roof. All the speakers have been chosen from among us to deliver on topics that relate to the theme of the 16 days of activism,” Lau said.

The secretary general of Women’s Right Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), Haj Sadatu Mahdi, said according to National Demographic Health Survey 2013 one in three Nigerian women have experienced physical violence by age 15.