The First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, has signed an agreement with governors’ wives to combat Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and harmful social practices against women.
The agreement was signed at the first Gender and Social Norms Summit 2024, organised by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Renewed Hope initiative, in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady in Abuja.
The first lady decried the prevalence of harmful practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), assault on women, and Child Marriage, which in some cases lead to Vesicovaginal Fistula.
According to her, incidences of such practices have continued to increase in spite of various efforts.
“Do we allow this trend to continue, or do we look the other way?
“That is why I am calling on law enforcement agencies, the Inspector-General of Police, the Attorney-General of the Federation
and the National Assembly (NASS) to appropriate and enforce stiffer laws and punishments for perpetrators of rape, sexual violence
and other forms of GBV.
“No guilty party should be allowed to go free and start roaming the streets looking for the next victim.”
Tinubu called for the development of state-specific action plans to promote the allocation of adequate resources in government budgets to support gender equality initiatives and GBV prevention programmes.
She added that “this summit provides us with common platform to create awareness, exchange lessons learned and promote effective strategies toward preventing and responding to GBV and harmful practices.”
The UNFPA Officer-In-Charge, Mr Koessan Kuawu, said family planning is not only a crucial health intervention but a cornerstone
of gender equality and women empowerment.
He noted that social norms drive misconceptions and cultural barriers in many communities across the country, which hinders the uptake of family planning.
He commended the Federal Government “for its steadfast dedication to creating an enabling environment through the passage and enforcement of critical legislations such as the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015.
“The implementation of the National FGM Policy, the National Child Marriage Policy, and state-specific action plans are also highly commendable to eliminating the menace.
“These milestones have been achieved through persistent advocacy, aimed at strengthening the adoption and implementation of these laws.
“With the right resources, political will and community support across the states, we can change the narrative for women and girls in Nigeria,” Kuawu said.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, defined social norms as unspoken rules or expected behaviours that set social standards of appropriate and inappropriate manners in a specific culture or social group.
Fagbemi, who was represented by the Solicitor-General of the Federation, Mrs Beatrice Agba, said “GBV encompasses various forms of violence directed at individuals based on their gender, often rooted in unequal power dynamics and societal norms.
“The practices may unfortunately be attributed to the patriarchal and male dominance theoretical framework in place in our society.”
He said that by upholding the rule of law, promoting gender equality and advancing justice for all, the justice system would contribute to creating a more inclusive, equitable and just society for the present and future generations.
