UNCSW-62: Mrs Wike Seeks Empowerment For Rural Women

Non-governmental organisations have been urged to set up centres in local government areas as a veritable means of empowering rural women and girls at the grassroots.
The wife of the Governor of Rivers State, Justice Eberechi Suzette Nyesom-Wike, who made this call while delivering her keynote address during the Medical Women Association of Nigeria Parallel event, at the ongoing United Nations Commission on the Status of Women 62nd Session in New York City, stressed on the need for women’s right protective services to be taken closer to the rural women to aid accessibility.
Justice Wike urged women to access the laws as passed by the Rivers State Government, noting that Rivers State was one of the leading states in the passage of the laws protecting maternal rights, against inimical widowhood practices and other discriminatory practices as well as against female genital mutilation.
She further called on women to support themselves in achieving the empowerment of women and girls in the rural areas, while lauding the synergy among Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Nigeria Association Women of Journalists (NAWOJ) and International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in addressing gender-based issues.
Earlier in her presentation on Women’s Health and Empowerment, the Country Vice President of FIDA and wife of the Attorney General of Rivers State, Mrs. Inime Aguma, noted with dismay that only 31 per cent of currently married women participate in three specified decisions pertaining to their own health care, major household purchases and visits to their family or relatives.
She called for sustained awareness on women’s health and empowerment through public campaigns, media sensitisation and advocacy visits as well as to build support of the citizenry on women’s health.