Ayo Ola
A presidential candidate of Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA) in the 2019 election, Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies has felicitated with women all over the world especially in Nigeria.
According to a statement on Friday she spoke during the 2021 International Day for the elimination of violence against women.
She stated that any form of violence against the womenfolk, whether young or old, single or married, literate or illiterate would need to stop henceforth.
She added that such violence whether physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, mental – violence, abuse or cheating must stop.
She expressed optimism that a female will emerge as Nigeria’s President in 2023.
She said, “I have a dream, that one day, a woman will emerge as the President of Nigeria, and the dream is now!!!
Ambassador Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies who is the current Country President and International Director of United Nations Positive Livelihood Award Centre (UN-POLAC) International Peace Advocates, called for the empowerment of women.
She said, “When women are empowered and put in top political positions, we can personally drive this course of violence against womanhood. As such, towards the 2023 elections, we need to mobilise all women in the country from the state level to the grassroots, educated, illiterate, northerners and southerners, Christians and Muslims to vote for a woman president and also vote for women at all levels.
“Therefore, as from now onwards, every woman should endeavour to speak to at least fifty (50) women to vote for “a woman president” in Nigeria. Tell five women daily from now till 2023 elections. Remember, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Your happiness starts from you and not from someone else.” It’s time for us to join forces together against the violent women abusers as well as terrorists, jihadists, Boko Haram, ISWAP, killer Fulani herdsmen and bandits who are bent to destroy, rape our mothers and dis-virgin our girls and daughters as their duty and hobby in Nigeria. The mothers say no! So should all the Nigerian youths and all the “He for She” and all the men campaign and vote for the first female president in Nigeria in 2023.”
She reiterated the United Nations’ belief that “Violence against women is regarded as any gender-based violence that results into physical, sexual or mental violence against women globally.”
Adesanya-Davies canvassed that in Nigeria, with the remembrance of today, there is the need to mobilise their campaigns and drive movements to stop any and all forms of abuse and violence against all women in the country from the state level to the grassroots, both educated, illiterate, northerners and southerners, as well as Christians and Muslims.
She added that the girl-child and all women should know that all such cases of abuse should always be reported to family members, acquaintances and properly constituted legal, civil and government agencies.
Adesanya-Davies said, “The international day for the elimination of violence against women is a day to commemorate the rights of women and girls internationally as in previous years. This year’s Day is being marked with the Theme: “Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now!” To raise this awareness, orange is the colour to represent a brighter future free of violence against women and girls. Be part of the orange movement!
Quoting a statement credited to The United Nations Women, she said, “Nearly 1 in 3 women has been abused in their lifetime. In times of crises, the numbers rise, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent humanitarian crises, conflicts and climate disasters. A new report from UN Women, based on data from 13 countries since the pandemic, shows that 2 in 3 women reported that they or a woman they know experienced some form of violence and are more likely to face food insecurity. Only 1 in 10 women said that victims would go to the police for help.”
“While pervasive, gender-based violence seems inevitable, it can and must be prevented. Stopping this violence starts with believing survivors, adopting comprehensive and inclusive approaches that tackle the root causes, transform harmful social norms, and empower women and girls. With survivor-centred essential services across policing, justice, health, and social sectors, and sufficient financing for the women’s rights agenda, we can end gender-based violence.” – Says UN Women.
“Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today which remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma, shame, values and other negative schemes surrounding it.
“In general terms, it manifests itself in physical, sexual and psychological forms, encompassing: Intimate partner violence (battering, psychological abuse, marital rape, femicide); Sexual violence and harassment (rape, forced sexual acts, unwanted sexual advances, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, street harassment, stalking, cyber-harassment); Human trafficking (slavery, sexual exploitation); Female genital mutilation; and child marriage.”
“To further clarify this, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women issued by the UN General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”
She added, “The adverse psychological, sexual and reproductive health consequences of VAWG affect women at all stages of their life. For example, early-set educational disadvantages not only represent the primary obstacle to universal schooling and the right to education for girls; down the line, they are also to blame for restricting access to higher education and even translate into limited opportunities for women in the labour market.”
“While gender-based violence can happen to anyone, anywhere, some women and girls are particularly vulnerable – for instance, young girls and older women, women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex, migrants and refugees, indigenous women and ethnic minorities, or women and girls living with HIV and disabilities, and those living through humanitarian crises.
“Research shows that ‘38 per cent of global women murders were committed by intimate partners which justice was not judiciously served in support of the victims and at the same time punitive punishment not served towards the committals. Women and girls passed through a series of violence in the world such as domestic violence, femicide, sexual violence, human trafficking, females genital mutilation, child marriages and sorts of unrevealing intimidations.
“As this day is set aside for awareness of all these menaces against females of all ages, it’s high time we fought for our women and girls, against assault, harassment and all forms of female gender-based violence. So many women and girls are passing through all these terrible experiences on daily basis in silence and nothing is being done about it. Undoubtedly, women are nations’ mothers and the custodians of our great future. Women and girls deserve adequate protection. Train a girl-child and so many children’s future and the entire society is secured. This as such is a clarion call for a female presidency in Nigeria in 2023.
“Congratulations to every woman in Nigeria, Africa and the entire globe on the 2021 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women!!! Remember, “I have a dream, that one day, a woman will emerge as the President of Nigeria, and the dream is now!!! – PMA.”