Office of First Lady
First Lady Turai advocates zero tolerance to gender-based violence
May 2, 2008, 12:03
| | Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs Turai Umar Yar’adua has appealed to all Nigerians to have zero tolerance to all forms of violence against women and work for the eradication of traditional practices that are harmful to women’s reproductive health.
Mrs Turai Yar’Adua made this call on the second day of the workshop on the Promotion of Maternal Health, organized by the Office of the First Lady in collaboration with the United Nation Population Fund [UNFPA].
Violence against women is the most pervasive yet least recognized human right abuse in the world. Gender Based Violence is sustained by a culture of silence.
The First Lady said ‘we all owe humanity especially our children the responsibility to break this harmful silence which has provided comfort and haven for perpetrators. We all need to act now as individuals and collectively to ensure no woman or man boy or girl is abused or violated because of his or her gender and because of discrimination under the guise of culture or tradition”.
Gender based violence reflects and reinforces inequities between men and women and compromises the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims. It encompasses wide range of human rights violations, including sexual abuse of children, rape, domestic violence and several harmful traditional practices. The First Lady said any of the abuses leave deep psychological scars, damage the health of women and girls in general, including their reproductive health, and in some instances results to death.
Mrs Rahima Momodu, a representative of UNFPA stated earlier that UNFPA is ready to partner with the Office of the First Lady at the Federal level and State Governors wives level. UNFPA is working to make Nigeria a violence free society.
She said UNFPA has put every effort into enabling women to speak out against GBV, and to get help when they are victims of it. The UNFPA strategies to end GBV are; strengthen advocacy on GBV, advocate for women in partnership with national networks and to integrate messages on the prevention of GBV into projects.
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