BY OLUWATOSIN IGHOTEGUONO
Wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs Betty Anyawu- Akeredolu has stressed the need to urgently end violence against women and girls in Nigeria to sustain the pride of womanhood.
Mrs Anyawu-Akeredolu made the call in Akure at a news conference which formed part of activities marking sixteen days of activism against gender based violence.
Mrs Anyanwu- Akeredolu who said that all hands must be on deck to fight the dehumanization and molestation of girls and women in the society, urged parents to bring up their wards in a decent manner.
She frowned at the practice of female genital mutilation which some Africans still engaged in seeing to be painful and saying it had no health benefit to girls,other than pain, calling on parents to desist from it.
Mrs Anyanwu- Akeredolu who appreciated the institutionalization of the violence against persons prohibition act, VAPP law in Ondo the state said any one found culpable of gender based violence would be made to face the law urging women to rise above all challenges.
Mrs Anyawu-Akeredolu who said cases of rape and violence against women and girls were now on the increase called on all security agencies to ensure that
culprits were punished to serve as deterrent to others.
She said it was high time women supported women vying for any political office so as to have those who could fight their cause in positions of authority
in the 2023 general election.
Also speaking, the commissioner for women affairs , Dr Olubunmi Osadahun said the menace should be handled seriously the way COVID 19 and campaign against AIDS were handled, so as to put an end to the violence.
Dr Osadahun who advocated full implementation of the violence against person’s prohibition act VAPP nationwide, cautioned people against using minors as house help.
In a goodwill message, the Special Adviser to the governor on Gender matters, Mrs Olamide Falana enjoined parents to voice out when there’s any violent act against them so as to get justice for victim while promising that they would be protected against stigmatization.
Mrs Falana pledged that her office would continue to advocate for the liberation of women from gender based violence in ondo state.
The news conference was well attended by Members of FOWOSO, BRECAN, BEMORE Girls, Heads of Women groups, Iyalojas and many others.