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Kogi State and Federal Government have been asked to declare a state of emergency on violence again women and girls.
EUNICE AGBOGUN THE KOGI STATE COORDINATOR FOR GENDER AND CONSTITUTION REFORM NETWORK (GECORN) AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHALLENGED PARENTHOOD INITIATIVE (CPD) MADE THE APPEAL IN AN ADVOCACY MESSAGE DURING A ADVOCACY VISITS TO
THE HONOURABLE COMMISSIONER MINISTRY OF WOMEN AFFAIRS AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
GECORN is a Network of Feminist Non Governmental and Community Based Organizations that believes in building women strengths to lead initiatives to demand for constitution reforms.
Equally GECORN is working towards the mobilization of women to build their strength in all sectors to lead initiatives to demand for constitution reforms in Nigeria.
As part of her demand to stop violence against women and the girl child, Eunice Agbogun during the advocacy called for the establishments and operation of ‘shelters’ to support women and girls who are at risk and survivors of violence in each state of the federation by 2023.
Still as part of her appeal during the advocacy, the GECORN Coordinator urged for the Commiting of adequate resources to establish new and support already establishey SARCs (Sexual Assault Response Centers) in Kogi State and across Nigeria.
Similarly, she asked for the launch, through the National Orientation Agency, a nationwide campaign to challenge and change negative attitudes towards women and girls as well as to ensure that laws are compliant with agreed international standards on gend equality, and effectively enforced.
Furthermore, she wants support mechanisms to address sexual and gender-based violence in home Internally Displaced Peoples’ camps, rural communities, urban area educational and health institutions, and workplaces.
Women and girls according to Eunice endure physical, socioeconomic, sexual or psychologic violence that affect them irrespective of their location, class, religion, ethnicity, lamented that despite existing legal frameworks on violence against women in atleast 10 states of the federation, the National Democratic Health Survey (NDHS) 2018 reports still indicates that 28% of females have experienced one form of violence or the other.
Towards women political Participation, Eunice urged Kogi State and the Federal Goverment to Implement the Justice Uwais Electoral Reform Committee Report on women’s political representation and to domesticate all treaties and conventions that promote the rights of women and girls to participate fully and equally in politics, decision-making and peace and security processes
She equally wants the creation and maintaining of an enabling environment for ensuring inclusion, equality and justice for all in every sphere of our national life; Provide legal backing to support the implementation of the 35% Affirmative
electoral law to stipulate mandatory affirmative action such nprise at least 35% of candidates presented to INEC for election.
GECORN the Kogi State Coordinator explains believes in alliance building, supports women’s movement, solidarity and leadership on their issues, says it is collaborating with Federation of Muslim Women, Women in Christian Association of Nigeria, National Council of Women Society, Market Women Association, Women farmers Association local Women in Business to stem the tide of violence against women.
GECORN works with likeminded gender focused/women’s groups towards advancing gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in Nigeria. It works towards engendering the constitution and promoting gender democracy. It has responded to the calls for memorandum on the constitution review processes and also engaged all the various activities across the 36 states of Nigeria. It has organizational structures in 36 states of Nigeria and is being managed by zonal and state coordinators.
Gender and Constitution Reform Network specializes in research advocacy mobilization and advocacy on gender sensitive constitution review and has the following organizations as members and zonal coordinators across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria) Women Aid Collective (WACOL), Gender Awareness Trust (GAT), Women Advocates’ Research and Documentation Center (WARDC), GEDPaC, WREP and Kebethkache.
The Executive Director Challenged Parenthood Initiative (CPI), a grassroots focused non —government and non —partisan organization with focus on social development through promotion of good governance, justice and rights for women is the Kogi State GECORN Coordinator.
