UN Women, WACOL demand pasaage of gender equal opportunities bill in Ebonyi

THE UN WOMEN and Women’s Aid Collective have called for the passage of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill in Ebonyi State.

The passage of the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill, other gender-responsive legislation, electoral and constitutional reform and women’s roadmap to 2027 general elections, the UN-WOMEN said, would help in addressing developmental issues in the Country.

At a stakeholder meeting put together by the UN Women in conjunction with Ebonyi State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, WACOL and UN-WOMEN Political Participation Group Ebonyi State Chapter, the Group called on women to lend their voices for the passage of the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill in the state as it will benefit every gender.

The meeting, funded by the Canadian Government, was aimed at enhancing women’s representation and participation in politics and governance in Ebonyi State through the adoption of constitutional and legislative reforms that are gender-inclusive and supportive of women’s political aspirations as well as political parties’ action and state-positive steps to ensure equitable representation.

Mariam Mustapha a Professor of Public Law at University of Ilorin and a consultant with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, while speaking on the Understanding Gender Equality Opportunities Bill, and other Legal Reforms, pointed out that Nigeria has one of the lowest numbers of female representation, ranking 181st out of 193 countries with only 3.6% female representation in the parliament.

Read also: UN Women, media leaders partner to drive gender equality

According to Mustapha, Women hold only 9.8% of local government seats, only 30.3% hold managerial positions, and Nigerian women rank 27.3% in the financial inclusion index.

She said, “The consequences of gender inequality in Nigeria are evident in the pervasiveness of sexual violence against women; disproportionate experience in conflicts between men and women; setback experienced by women occasioned by childbirth; rape; and sex trafficking.

“Denial of or discouraging girl child education (thereby perpetuating the cycle of poverty and inequality) Low economic status of women because of undervaluation of their work; Exclusion of women from national and international decision-making bodies (thereby inhibiting their ability to affect policies that perpetuate the above-mentioned manifestations of inequality).

“In light of the above, it is not out of place for efforts like the Gender Equal Opportunities Bill to emerge in Nigeria, Ebonyi State inclusive. Gender Equal Opportunities Bill is therefore conceived against the backdrop of the pervasiveness of gender inequality in Nigeria and we are advocating its passage for Ebonyi State”, she said.

Mustapha, who commended the Ebonyi State Government for appointing women into different political positions, said the bill if passed into law, provides for equal opportunities for all persons and prohibits all forms of gender-based discrimination and inequalities in Ebonyi State and other related matters.

“The law is made up of 7 Parts of 46 sections The provisions of the Bill are to protect our fathers, mothers, daughters, sisters, sons, Nieces, nephews and wives from any form of abuse, violence, discrimination; and to make them enjoy life in its fullest in the area of education, health, employment and decision making.

Stella Okechukwu-Kalu, the chairperson of the UN-women Political Participation Working Group in Ebonyi State, said the Group is pushing for policies and laws that promote Women’s political participation and representation, and they will continue to lend their voices for the benefit of women, especially in the rural areas in the State.