16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM:WOMEN MEDIA NETWORK, MoWA& SD, HEforSHE Holds Media Roundtable.

Catherine Philip Jelani

UN WOMEN MEDIA NETWORK, MoWA& SD,  HEforSHE Holds  Media Roundtable on the 16 Days of Activism for the year 2023  at the AUN Club today, with the theme: "Unite! Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls." 

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women Affairs and social Development, Mrs. Rifkatu Gwandi told News men that the relationship between the Ministry is that twin sisters, her words; " Ministry of Women  Affairs and Social Development and UN WOMEN are like twin sisters because they have similar mandate and the UN WOMEN have come with a lot of interventions and because they have wider tentacles and our Ministry is localised because it's only a Ministry of a State.  But, the UNWOMEN is a global intervention."  She explained that the UN WOMEN  gathers and collects the needs of the Ministry and brings in  their policies and interventions while the Ministry serves as a channel through which  they exhibit their Projects. "Some of the projects they executes are things we couldn't have executed. Their coming to support us have made our impact somuch felt, they have make our work easier and have made life better for women in Adamawa State."

The PS has also made it known that GBV is in the decrease now because the Ministry and Stakeholders are out for name  and calling. " We are out for naming and shaming." 

She said, hurdles the Ministry has in trying to get justice for some of the victims of GBV in the State could be centred on either culture or family mentality. Parents or guiadians of some of the victims of GBV sometimes do not help to secure justice to the victims because if it happens to a child or a minor and the parents are not willing to go and testify in the court and the child cannot testify becomes a problem. She cited a recent case in Michika where a man of 35 years old raped a 2 years old girl. The girl's parents declined coming to the police station, eventhough he was arrested in Michika the parents refused to follow up for him to be brought to Yola. " But, thank God for the Ministry of Women Affairs, it's Partners and other women groups in the State because as I speak to you now, the man is in prison." Said Mrs. Gwandi.

 The roundtable featured Stakeholders such as the Women Mentors, Cisos, Media, Partners amongst others. Issues raised were the challenges faced by the stakeholders while advocating on GBV amongst others.