By Longtong Ibrahim
Kaduna (Nigeria) – Government at all levels in Nigeria has been tasked to step up efforts at ensuring the safety and upholding the dignity of women as well as the girl-child in the country.
Coordinator, Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF), Sekyen Dadik in a statement, gave the charge in Kaduna, North-west Nigeria while commemorating the 2016 International Women’s day on Tuesday. The theme for the celebration was, “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality.”
She explained that the call was necessitated as a result of the high spate of kidnappings of young girls and denigrating comments about women in recent times – citing example of the abductions of the 14 year old Miss Ese Oruru from Bayelsa State, the female student in Sokoto and that of three female students of the Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary, Ikorodu, Lagos.
Mrs. Dadik pointed out that, “This calls for concrete action by government and stakeholders to protect and empower women and girls as they contribute meaningfully to the growth of the nation.”
According to her, the 2016 theme buttresses the critical role women and girls play in finding sustainable solutions to the challenges of poverty, inequality and the recovery of the communities hit by conflicts, disasters and displacements.
“This year’s celebration of International Women’s Day is the first within the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which emphasizes gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as fundamental to progress.
“The new Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals include a specific goal to achieve gender equality, which aims to end discrimination and violence against women and girls and ensure equal participation and opportunities in all spheres of life,” she noted.
