Kwara gov’s wife empowers 1,000 indigent women, youths

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5 years ago

Kwara State First Lady, Mrs Olufunke Abdulrazaq,

Pet project of the wife of Kwara State governor, Mrs Olufunke Abdulrazaq, Ajike People’s Support Centre, has empowered no fewer than 1,000 indigent women and youths on vocational training, skills acquisition and educational scholarships in the state.

Speaking at “no tolerance against gender-based violence walk” in Ilorin at the weekend, Mrs Abdulrazaq said that empowerment of women and girls would put an end to gender-based violence and high incidents of rape in the country.

“We must recognize that gender-based violence is, at its root is a manifestation of the relatively low status of women and girls in our society. When women and girls can live free from violence and are afforded equal opportunities in education, healthcare, employment and political participation, they will lift up their families and communities and indeed the country.

“Ending gender-based violence will certainly require empowering our women and girls to speak up for themselves and also encourage our men and boys to speak and speak out for their mothers, wives, partners, sisters and daughters.

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“To achieve the aforementioned, however, there is the need for us to eschew all manners of abuse and gender-based violence and to depart from the usual practice of treating cases of abuse with silence. Where incidents of abuse occur, the perpetrators should be made to face the consequences of their actions, while the survivor is provided with the needed help and counselling,” she said.

Mrs. Abdulrazaq also urged journalists to “keep the advocacy as an ongoing conversation, until everyone is aware of the dangers inherent in gender-based violence.

“I equally enjoin all our law enforcement agencies, family heads, traditional and religious leaders, proprietors and personnel of all our educational institutions and other places of worship to share in our drive of ridding our society of all forms of abuses and gender-based violence,” she said.