REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, HIS EXCELLENCY (DR.) ABUBAKAR BUKOLA SARAKI, CON, AT THE NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON WAR AGAINST ABUSE ON WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN NIGERIA, HELD AT THE STATE HOUSE CONFERENCE CENTRE, ABUJA, ON DECEMBER 16, 2017.
PROTOCOL.
1.Good morning to all distinguished guests and participants here at this very important National Workshop On War Against Abuse of Women and Children In Nigeria. No doubt, everyone present recognises the need to do something about the escalating incidents of abuse against women and children in our society. That is why you are all here; and I feel honoured to number among you.
2.I would like to thank the Wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Her Excellency, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, for my invitation to this Workshop. It is fitting that we commend Her Excellency for this great initiative which is taking place under the auspices of her Future Assured Programme in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Your Excellency, by organising this Workshop – which is intended to create greater public awareness about the adverse impact of abuse on Nigerian women and children, and with a view to finding solutions to the malaise – you have demonstrated, once again, your concern for the vulnerable in our society, as well as your determination to do something to change their lot.
3.Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it has been shown that the most developed and successful countries in the world are those where the women are most empowered. This is in tandem with the Sustainable Development Goals which seek the empowerment of women and the removal of factors preventing them from achieving their potentials in life. This tells us that the well-being of our women and children has a direct correlation to our development as a society. This is even more so, when you consider that women make up roughly half of Nigeria’s population. Our children are the future of Nigeria, and women are the group most directly involved in raising the next generation. Whatever keeps women down, cuts our success rate as a country by half. And whatever negatively affects women and children, has an adverse impact on our country to an intolerable degree – and this has ramifications not only for today’s society but also future generations.
4.Beyond developmental indices, however, the way we treat our women and children is a sure marker of our standing as a humane and decent society. Studies show that one in three Nigerian women is likely to suffer gender based violence or Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in her lifetime. The rate of domestic and other gender based violence in Nigeria is truly alarming. One women’s support group recently revealed that it dealt with over 2100 cases of gender based violence in a period of only 11 months. This is unacceptable.
5.You can hardly open newspapers today without seeing reports of rape and grievous abuse of women and children. There is a need to create awareness about these ills, so that victims can have avenues to seek help; and those in the community can recognise the signs in order know what steps to take, to assist an endangered woman or child. We must create safe spaces for victims; and work to increase the capacity of organisations catering to those affected. The role of counseling and other restorative methods for dealing with trauma cannot be over-emphasised, so the victims can heal physically and psychologically.
6.There is another staggering dimension to the issue, due to the considerable problems we have with insurgency and other conflicts, displacement as well as a myriad of humanitarian crises. As we all know, women and children are often the most vulnerable in conflict situations, prone to abuse and sexual exploitation from many perpetrators, especially in desperate, life and death situations. Sex trafficking and child labour span a spectrum with danger signals that we should be able to recognise, and for which there should be zero tolerance. More importantly, we must strengthen the system so as to bring the perpetrators to book, deter would-be offenders, and safeguard our women and children whatever their status – and wherever they are in our country.
7.In the 8th Senate, we are very much committed to the well-being of our women and children – and to strengthening legislative frameworks for ensuring the same. We respect and recognise the contribution of women to all spheres of life in Nigeria, economic activity being one area that has had a direct impact on the recovery of our economy. The Gender and Equality Bill remains before the National Assembly and we hope to make some progress on it in due course.
8.In conclusion, I welcome interventions such as this very laudable Workshop by the Future Assured Programme. It is a matter of urgency that we must achieve the twin objectives of sensitising the public and finding solutions. I am confident that we shall be closer to achieving those objectives by the end of this Workshop.
9.Thank you all for listening, and I wish you an impactful session.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
