Politics
AN NGO, ‘The Initiative for Research, Innovation, and Advocacy in Development (IRIAD), Electoral Hub’, said there was the need to strengthen extant gender-responsive intervention policies in Nigeria.
This is contained in a statement on Monday in Abuja, by Ms Princess Hamman-Obels, Founder and Director, IRIAD, in commemoration of the World Humanitarian Day.
Hamman-Obels said that the move would tackle humanitarian crises affecting women and girls.
It also advocates for sensitisation campaigns educating women and girls on rights and key issues to drive gender justice.
“The theme of this year’s WHD is to show the importance, effectiveness, and positive impact of humanitarian work, which is based on the famous saying ‘It Takes a Village’.
“In recent years, there had been an increase in cases of humanitarian issues caused by conflicts, natural disasters, hunger, health emergencies -COVID- 19, and so on.
”This had increased the number of those in need of humanitarian aid .
“Nigeria has been in a permanent state of crisis in the last 15 years with perennial security challenges leading to loss of lives, destruction of properties and displacement of people.
“This is creating a huge humanitarian crisis; Boko Haram terrorism in the Northeastern part of the country had created about 1.7 million internally displaced persons,” she said.
Hamman-Obels further said that women and young girls had in particular experienced humanitarian crises disproportionately compared with men and boys.
She said that for instance, women make up about 52 per cent of the 1.7million displaced persons from Boko Haram terrorism .
She said that in line with this year’s theme, IRIAD urges all relevant stakeholders to increase women’s representation .
She also urged them to provide for meaningful participation of women in all post-crises humanitarian processes and interventions.
The Director said that this could be ensured through more research and documentation of the experiences of women and girls affected by the insurgency.
Hamman-Obels said that there was also need to deepen the process of localisation and domestication of the UNSCR1325- Women, Peace, and Security Agenda.
She added that effective implementation of policies and interventions aimed at improving gender equity and justice complemented with sensitisations and campaigns using various media was required .(NAN)
KN
Tags: Boko Haram COVID- 19 IRIAD Princess Hamman-Obels
