The Women Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) and the FCT Ten Pillar Partners has called for the promotion of the Gender and Equal Opportunities (GEO) bills at traditional meetings for the members to familiarize themselves with the bills and cascade down to other community members.
During the advocacy visit to Traditional ruler of Abaji Area Council recently in Abuja, the Executive Director Community Aid and Girl Child support Initiatives, Jemilat Abdul-azeez and Co-lead Amb. Hannatu Usman Nga , Project Director, Association of wives of FCT Traditional Rulers- was represented by the Project officer, Emmanuel Bassey with other delegates further called for continuous sensitization and enlightenment of content of the bills throughout the chiefdoms to popularize the bills and gain support of the constituency’s members within the communities.
The Team further highlighted the benefits of the bill is to men and boys in your communities to gain their support for the bills.
They also called on the need to intentionally involve the community youth in their regular meetings, using the youth to amplify the bills in their meetings throughout the community.
Also, the target groups within the intervention are consistently the most marginalized women and girls, including those who face intersecting forms of discrimination or multi-deprivation, such as those with disabilities, women and girls living with HIV/AIDS, the poorest and those living in most difficult to access communities in order to “leave no one behind”.
While responding, the Ona of Abaji and Chairman of the FCT council of traditional rulers, His Royal Majesty (HRM) Alhaji Adamu Baba Yunusa assured to support the delegation in pushing the Gender and Equal Opportunities (GEO)bill.
He also noted that anyone who goes against Gender Base Violence (GBV) act must be punished according to the court of law.