The need for women to maintain one voice in order to achieve the desired thirty-five percent affirmative action to unlock equal rights, power and opportunities for all has been advocated.
These were the submission of some women advocates while speaking on this year’s international women’s day, with the theme, “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”held in Kaduna.
In an interview, Professor of criminology and gender studies at the Kaduna State University, Hauwa’u Evelyn Yusuf said that this year’s theme is timely, as it is a call for everyone to rise and improve the life of a woman.
According to her, women can make remarkable and dogged achievements when they are united.
Professor Hauwa’u who is the CEO of the centre for studies and resolution on domestic violence maintained that the centre provides shelter for Gender Based Violence, GBV’s survivors, peace, security, conflict solutions and capacity building programs for women and men.
“Our target is that every woman out there should have a voice, a voice to be heard, a voice to be reckoned with, not just hearing, because yes you can make any noise, you can hear me, but then, we want a situation where women can aspire to leadership positions and deliver, because it is one thing to aspire to leadership positions and it is another thing to deliver”, she said.
On her part, Chairperson of International Federation of Female Lawyers, FIDA, Kaduna State Chapter, Mrs Olufunke Bamikole said the nigerian constitution enshrined the fundamental human rights which should be enjoyed by both genders.
” We have Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015 VAPP law that addresses most of these gender based violence, raging from abandonment, rape, defilement and so on and so forth, and there are sanctions , so am calling on everyone across the globe not only in Nigeria, let’s see women as specially created creatures that is supposed to be respected, loved, cherished, nourished”, she said.
Mrs Bamikole explained that women played indispensable roles in private and public lives, hence they deserve full support and respect to enable them live a fulfilled and purposeful lives.
On her part, the President of a Northern Women Association founded in 1963, Jam’ Iyyar Matan Arewa, Hajiya Rabi Musa Saulawa pointed out that women have reached commendable heights in various fields in Nigeria.
“She Stressed that Nigeria women are the secretary general of the United Nations, Director General of World Trade Organization, but yet more collaborative efforts is needed to actualize the proposed women’s rights and struggles, especially for women in the Northern part of the country”.
In a remark the North- West Secretary of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Hajiya Daharatu Ahmed Aliyu maintained the norm of looking at women as only for the kitchen, particularly in the North is becoming a thing of the past.
2025 international women’s day is very significant as it’s commemorating 30 years since the United Nation’s Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action for achieving gender equality.
Reports show that, Women have broken barriers, reshaped policies, and ignited powerful movements worldwide, but despite these advances, millions of women and girls still face systemic inequalities, rising violence, and economic disparities that hold them back from reaching their full potential.
Naomi Anzaku Ekele.
