Women affairs minister: I’ll step up fight against gender-based violence

Minister for women affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, has hinted that her ministry would step up its fight against gender-based violence (GBV) in the country.

Ohanenye spoke last Thursday at the 23rd regular national council meeting on women affairs in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

She stated among other things that the ministry under her watch would lead efforts to unlock women’s economic potentials.

The ministry, according to her, would collaborate with agencies of government and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to address challenges women face.

The minister said it was time for society to step up its game in combating GBV, social and structural inequalities as well as other harmful practices that disproportionately affect women and children in the country.

“Any child is going through that kind of pain and violence is our child and we need to step up our game on how to protect and preserve them,” she said.

On the harmful practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), she said the survivors were voiceless and defenceless hence, depended on their mothers to defend them.

“Sometimes some of them die from infections as these practices are carried out in remote villages where they lack knowledge of basic hygiene. We are going to look into this with a view to tackling it from the root.”

“UNICEF has done a lot to educate these villagers and till now they are still adamant. All commissioners are to be ready for a movement to sensitise them using the services of town criers in order to satisfy our consciences, after that we get the whistle-blowers and whosoever is involved in FGM will face the wrath,” the minister said.