INEC, NOA Rally Against Violence Against Women During Elections

With the forth-coming 2019 General Elections and lack of active women participation in Electoral processes, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday 5th February, 2019 held a one day seminar on “Mitigating Violence Against women in the Electoral process” at the conference hall of Lagos State Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).

Declaring the event open, the Representative of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Ijeoma Okey Igbokwe noted that the general aim of election related gender based violence is to undermine women’s political right and deny them opportunities for effective participation and representation in leadership positions. The seminar was therefore organized to foster strategic partnership with critical stakeholders on the issue of violence against women in elections. It is to further create awareness on gender based election-related issues and provide forum for sharing experiences on approaches that would mitigate incidences against women before, during and after the 2019 General Elections.

In his goodwill message, the Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lagos State, Mr. Waheed Ishola expressed his displeasure at the poor attendance of women despite their population how much more their participation in electoral processes. He identified the following as factors that contribute to Violence Against Women:

Opposition to Women Leadership

Women’s economic dependency, illiteracy, limited family support, lack of education or access to education and lack of information.

Discrimatory social and cultural attitudes – Society’s culture of violence or impunity like political violence.

Absence of supportive administrative and judicial structures including inadequate rule of law and governance institutions.

The Director listed the effect of the above as:

Cases of young women at such periods becoming vulnerable to rape and consequently getting infected with STDs and HIV.

Many women are equally left widowed and children as orphans.

He noted that Women only need to evolve a participatory attitude by being progressive with love for each other and be focused. He further stressed that for there to be full participation, a lot of training, mobilization and sensitization activities must be done even as he tasked women to always come out enmass to speak with one voice on their issues. The era of seeing scantily clad women as praise singers to politicians should be stopped.

Other speakers were: Mrs. Nkechi Ali-Balogun; Dr. (Mrs.) Franca Attoh of Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos; Liason Officer (INEC) SP Opadola Elizabeth of Nigerian Police amongst others.

In attendance were: Security Agencies (Army, Police, NSCDC Civil Defence, Road Safety Corps and DSS); Civil Society Organisations (CSOs); Representatives from the Academia; amongst others.