Enugu Group Harps on Inclusion of Men in Campaign Against Gender Based Violence

Posted by Ignatius Okpara African News, Featured, Latest Headlines, News, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Thursday, September 2nd, 2021

An Enugu based non-governmental organization NGO, Women Information Network (WINET) has stressed the need for the involvement of men folk in dealing with issues on ending Sexual and Gender based violence in Enugu state, South East Nigeria.

To this end, the organization on Wednesday organized a one day community dialogue on the issue at Ugwogo Nike, Enugu State, where the participants were sensitized on various forms of violence.

Addressing the participants, a Resource person Barrister Ifeanyi Onaga, from the state Ministry of justice, told them to start inculcating right values on the young ones as they usually learn by observation.

He, however, urged them not to see their wives as properties, stressing the need for them to form a committee with a view to ensuring that “any man who beats his wife will serve punishment and this will serve as a deterrent to others.

Also, speaking at the event, the monitoring and evaluation officer of WINET, Mrs Chinelo Dim, had sensitized the participants on inclusion of women in leadership.

She explained what inclusion means to them, as well as listed the reason women should be included in leadership positions.

Program Manager of WINET, Mrs. Ijeoma Obinna- Onwuka in her presentation, sensitized the participants on voter education advising some of them that do not have voter’s card to go to their local government Secretariat to obtain it.

In his remark, the president General (PG) of the Community, Chief Nelson Okoh, said that they will go round to sensitize women about the voters cards, as well as visit the youth during their meetings to do same particularly for those that are up to 18 years.

In his speech, the traditional rulers of the locality, Igwe Barrister Emeka Ugwu, (Offia Afulu Agu 1 of Ugwogo Nike) noted that inclusion of women in leadership in Igwe’s cabinet and other clubs in their community is not a bad idea, rather it is culture that is affecting everything and thus certain things cannot be changed automatically.

He however, said their constitution has been there for a long time and assured that women will be part of his cabinet once the constitution is amended.

Corroborating the Monarch, the PG, said disclosed that their Constitution has been the way it is for ten years, promising that when amended, women will be included in Igwe’s cabinet.