WIFE of the governor of Lagos State, Mrs Bolanle Ambode and the State Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs) Oluranti Adebule, on Tuesday, urged women to pay due attention to their health and speak out against social vices, such as domestic violence, child abuse, rape and teenage pregnancy.
They both gave the charge while speaking at an event tagged, Lagos Women’s Forum, which took place at the Police College, Ikeja.
Speaking at the Forum, organized to address issues of women’s health and recurring social vices in the society, Mrs Ambode noted that good health was a prerequisite for every other thing, including good attention to children and family, business and even political activities, stressing that without good health, nothing meaningful could be achieved.
The governor’s wife, while also alluding to the statement that, “health is wealth,” contended that good health is the gateway to everything, adding: “To have good health, we need to take care of our body, mind and soul.”
“It is when we have good health that we can run around for business, take care of our homes, our children or engage in political activities. When we have sound health, we can better attend to all issues and concerns,” she further said.
While condemning the prevalence of social nuisance in the society, describing the attitude as barbaric and unacceptable in civilized climes, Mrs Ambode charged the women to boldly voice out their discontent against domestic violence, child abuse, rape and teenage pregnancy.
She equally charged women to seek to know their rights under the law, shun silence and be vocal voices for their own cause.
“Importantly too, we would be examining the rights of women under the law in the face of persistent social problems. When we know our rights, we can speak better and act better, to protect ourselves if and when those circumstances arise,” Mrs Ambode said, even as she reminded them of their natural role as mothers and coordinators of the family unit.
According to her, this natural role has no doubt imposed on them the salient responsibility of bringing up their children in the most decent way for a decent and moral society.
Also speaking, Lagos State deputy governor, Dr Adebule, said the Forum provided a platform where women could engage in sustainable discourse in order to increase their knowledge and enhance their awareness on health and well-being as participants.
The deputy governor said it was unfortunate that women still faced many health-cum-social problems, 23 years after countries signed pledges in 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action.
She said there was a need for a recommitment to address those concerns, urging Lagos women to embrace sustainable advocacy and take conscious action on matters concerning their health and how they were treated by the society at large.
“We should no longer be stereotyped into silence but become vocal advocates for improved health delivery system and social justice for women in Lagos State and the country.
“As critical stakeholders, our role must be focused on investing and increasing access of more girls and women to good health, quality education; ensuring that laws that respect and ensure the rights of women are enforced and help create gender-posture media messages that support women and girls in distress,” she said.
She appealed to all women to join hands with the government in winning the battle against dogmas inimical to a healthy lifestyle and social malaise of domestic violence, child abuse, rape and teenage pregnancy.
Speaking on the topic: “Be the Voice against Child Abuse and Teenage Pregnancy,” Mrs Modupeola Adebambo of the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, said children who sexually were abused tended to be sexually active and exposed to teenage pregnancy, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD), alcoholic addiction, among others.
She appealed to parents not to abuse their children in whatever form, adding that parents should teach their children sexual education to make them aware of the danger inherent in sexual abuse.
Director, Office of Public Defender (OPD), Olayinka Adeyemi, who spoke on domestic violence and rape, equally urged women to speak out against domestic violence and report such cases to the OPD for legal action.
The programme which was broken into two sessions, saw the first session handling health screening, cancer screening and distribution of free eyeglasses while the second session saw health talks and talks on issues of social vices.
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