Gender Advocates Urge Lawmakers to Initiate Bill to Protect Women, Children

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Participants at a one-day gender awareness retreat in Abuja yesterday urged the National Assembly to initiate a bill that would prevent the military and security agencies to spare women and children during peace-keeping  operations.

The event was organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies in collaboration with UN Women and German Cooperation.

The theme of the retreat was: “Enhancing Gender-Responsive  Security Operations: The Role of Legislators in Women, Peace and Security (WPS) In Nigeria.”

Representatives from the UN Women, National Defence College (NDC), the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, National Assembly, Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Labour attended the programme.

The duo of an Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Abuja Dr. Ernest Ereke and Prof. Sola Adeyanju of the Directorate of Research, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos, were the resource persons on the occasion.

Delivering a keynote on the occasion, Prof. Istifanus Zabadi of the Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa State, noted that the National Assembly should do more than moving motions after each conflicts in the country.

He said: “Another important issue to consider is the role of the National Assembly in the security operations going on in Nigeria.

“A serious weakness in the arrangement in implementing UNSCR1325 WPS is the lack of the enabling law like the one passed by the United States Congress.

“That law gave specific directives to agencies of the federal government to coordinate their efforts to achieve the objectives of WPS.

“This political directive is needed in Nigeria, and the National Assembly is the body to provide it.

“In addition to the law, the oversight functions of the National Assembly should also keep an eye on whether and how the MDAs are implementing gender-equality, gender mainstreaming, and gender responsiveness with respect to security operations.

“This is a useful monitoring tool to push the process forward. Another Important issue is that gender budgeting. There must be dedicated budget lines for gender mainstreaming in all relevant MDAs.”

He noted that nations who want to be politically and socially stable, to have peace, democracy and development must involve women in the scheme of things.

The Director General, NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, noted that gender equity offers a path to sustainable peace and conflict prevention and resolution.

He said women and girls are affected differently by conflict and violence, and that the long-term social and economic impacts of the cascading crises were phenomenal

He said: “Rising number of women and girls are suffering from violence in the home front, with many of them out of school, and with no prospect of training, a job, or financial independence.

“The gender dimensions of conflicts and insecurity are also evidenced globally. It is indeed worrisome that around the world, the recent shift away from inclusive politics shows once again that dictatorship and authoritarianism are mutually reinforcing and are antithetical to stable and prosperous societies.”