The Wife of Abia State Governor, Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu, has charged the media industry to focus it’s reportage on the issues of gender based violence in the country.
Ikpeazu made the charge while briefing newsmen at the Vicar Hope Foundation’s Headquarters in Umuahia, recently about the activities marking the “16th, Days of activism against gender -based violence.
Mrs. Ikpeazu explained that 16 days of activism is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and the girl child.
The Abia First Lady, also described violence against women and the girl child as a problem of pandemic proportions and urged the media to join in the struggle to address the issues
According to her, “We need to put out issues of gender based violence in the public space so that it would be seen in the right perspective by telling the stories of abuse correctly and appropriately”.
The Governor’s wife alarmed that at least one out of every three women around the world has been abused, beaten, coerced into sex or mutilated.
These forms of violence against women and the girl child she pointed out to include rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, dowry-related abuse, marriage by abduction, forced marriages and others.
She expressed that this year’s theme “Generation Equality” suggested that men and women had come together to raise consciousness to end all forms of gender-based violence and commended the Abia State House of Assembly for giving accelerated hearing to the bill on Violence Against Persons Prohibition and passing it into law.
“This shows that the House of Assembly is committed to the protection of the lives and rights of the people of Abia and we as a coalition will continue to throw our unreserved support behind these legislative processes and our legislators.
However, Mrs Ikpeazu, disclosed that Vicar Hope Foundation, had created a Gender-Based Violence Response Desk to complement efforts by partners and support groups.
In her contribution, the Abia Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Ukachi Amala, said that her ministry will be committed to curbing all forms of gender-based violence.
