The Edo State government in collaboration with the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women (UN Women) on Thursday launched the “HeForShe” initiative which advocates for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls.
Speaking at the official launch of the “HeforShe” movement in Benin City, Governor Godwin Obaseki said his administration has entrenched a culture that supports gender inclusiveness to further support the emphasis that no society will achieve its potential while relying on just a segment of the populace.
Obaseki, represented by Osarodion Ogie, secretary to the Edo State government, said it has put structures in place to eliminate negative stereotypes and behaviours with the passage of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law 2021 and the reviewed criminal code which was recently forwarded to the Edo State house of assembly.
Since the assumption of office, he said deliberate steps had been taken to close the gap between men and women in appointment into public service with more female commissioners, special advisers and permanent secretaries contributing to the achievements of Making Edo Great Again (MEGA).
“When women are given equal opportunities in leadership and decision making, the society emerges better. This is something I have enjoyed since I began serving as the helmsman of Edo State. Under this administration, not on sentiment but on merit, the state judiciary has had a female chief judge. Currently, there are at least 18 female judges in Edo State.
“As an administrative policy, all our initiatives have been structured to apply social inclusiveness which has gender inclusion as a component. This cut across empowerment initiatives, agricultural programs and public sector reforms with a bid to achieve self-reliance and economic independence,” Obaseki said.
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The governor assured that he would continue to provide leadership to get more men and boys in the campaign of gender equality in all spheres of human life in the state.
“We realise that gender inequality is an issue that affects everyone socially, politically and economically. Therefore, as we seek shift, I want to assure you all that our government will continue to encourage men’s movement for gender equality,” he said.
Comfort Lamptey, the UN Women representative to Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), on her part, said the “HeForShe” initiative is a solidarity movement for gender equality developed by UN Women to engage men and boys as advocates and agents of change in the effort to achieve gender equality.
Lamptey added that the launch of the initiative underscores the importance of outreach to strategic groups, men, young people, the media, the private sector, and other influential stakeholders on why the inclusion of men as allies would lead to the achievement of gender equality.
“The main objective and overall purpose of this launch are to strengthen male engagement and advocate for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls in Edo State through the “HeForShe” initiative launch which is a key deliverable of the spotlight initiative.
“In this regard, UN Women, under the spotlight initiative in partnership with the Government of Edo State has found it important to launch this initiative at a critical time in Nigeria, where gender inequality is widespread due to patriarchy, imbalance in socio-economic opportunities, cultural and religious factors and inadequate enabling legal and policy frameworks, among other factors,” she said.
