ACHIEVING GENDER EQUALITY IN NIGERIA: THE CHALLENGES at the 2015 Law week/Family Day

Invited as a guest speaker by the International Federation of Women Lawyers at the 2015 Law week/Family Day on 20th Dec. 2015.

Speaking at the event Ms. Ogechukwu Enwelum, the Executive Director of DEDASRI said that Women Gender Equality issues has become a global core commitment because equality between men and women is just fair and right. The attainment of gender equality is not only seen as an end itself and human right issues, but as a prerequisite for the achievement of sustainable development.

She went further to say that Nigeria like other countries in the world is responding to the clarion calls made variously by the United Nations to rid societies of all forms of discrimination especially gender based discrimination. But to achieve this, she advised that a development process which takes women and men as partners in development, and more importantly that which challenges the structure which continues to produce gender-based inequalities in the society, and balances power relations between women and men both at micro and macro levels is inevitable. 

she recounted the consequence of  unequal status between men and women to include high level of economics and political powerlessness among women, powerlessness in turn retard development of any level, politically, economically and socially.

Ms. Ogechukwu Enwelum said that achieving gender equality is imperative to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nigeria especially FIDA is therefore called upon to be part of global trend towards gender equality. We should demonstrate more sensitivity towards the plight of Nigerian women. Further researches should however be channeled towards discovering the reasons why most Nigerian women have exhibited and continue to exhibit high level of complacency even in the face of flagrant and persistent violation of their constitutionally guaranteed rights.

She also calls for the domestication of CEDAW, Uprooting of all Obnoxious Traditional Practices that Impede the Rights of Women, Empowerment of Women among other recommendations as other measures for gender equality. 

The Enugu State Deputy Coordinator of FIDA presented a gift as FIDA's token of appreciation to Ms. Ogechukwu Enwelum after the presentation.