Omowunmi Semudara
The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, has disclosed the readiness of the Federal to introduce Mobile court as a means to address cases of sexual and gender-based violence and other vices in the country.
The Minister who revealed this during a press briefing session in Abuja, stated that this was part of reforms and targets her office set out to realise in her first 100 days in office.
Uju said “If we have a mobile court, it will help as we go for our advocacy against SGBV. We have been advocating, and spending money, to no avail. When victims report, police will come in for arrest, we will take the victim straight to the hospital to confirm and then the mobile courts come in to ensure justice is served.”
Uju emphasized the need for a different approach to interventions targeting grassroots women while highlighting the importance of working with women cooperatives to implement empowerment projects that can be sustained by the recipients beyond the initial government support.
“The narrative has changed in this ministry. We have decided to forge ahead with more sustainable moves that will impact our women and children.”
“Sanitary towels being given to girls in some schools from time to time is not sustainable; therefore, we have decided that instead of giving them the sanitary towels, we set up sanitary pad production ventures. Sharing gas cylinders with rural women is also not sustainable; the ministry is concerned about who refills the gas stove for the rural woman after the first refill. We have decided to, instead, give them charcoal burners and biogas stoves among others,” she noted.
