AFRICA: 'Global Rights Pursuits Require Women Participation'

In keeping with traditions of Australian missions around the world, the Australian High Commission in Abuja recently marked the International Women's Day; with a message that global human rights pursuits and fundamental freedoms require active participation of women.

The Commission's Charge d'Affairs, Ms. Joanna Adamson, in her address disclosed that her government has three priorities in promoting women affairs; to reduce violence against women and their children, to improve women's economic independence and financial security and to promote women equality in all aspects of society.

She added that the country is working with the Nigeria Government to improve women's participation in decision making, and women's political and economic empowerment, to reduce violence against women especially in situations of armed conflict and to improve health and education outcomes of women.

Australia has a female Deputy Prime Minister, seven female Cabinet Ministers, two female Parliamentary Secretaries, female Deputy Opposition leader and a female Governor General, Adamson told the audience.

Executive Director of the Alliance for Africa, Ms. Ihuoma Obibi, while delivering a paper titled 'Its My Decade', lamented that Nigeria is yet to domesticate various international and regional protocols on women which the country has been a signatory to. She called for the implementation of the AU Gender policy and the National Gender policy, both of which she described as 'home-grown'.

"All of these are African birthed and grown; they belong to us on the continent and have not been imposed from anywhere else. If there are any hidden agendas, then we can lay blame with our ministers and the legal department of the AU."

According to Obibi, African culture and religion have placed certain demands on women to ensure that women are afraid to engage in changes that would result in societal stigmatisation or in being labelled as different.

Representative of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs. Joy Ajulu, said the ministry was working with women towards the 2011 general elections to ensure that they are not 'subdued' by the men folk in attaining their political aspirations.

These women, she said, were being supported by the ministry, not just because they are women, but also because they possess the merit, which would make them good leaders and help the country's bid for national development.

Highlight of the event included the poem recital by ace broadcaster, Eugenia Abu who thrilled the audience with excerpts from her latest book, "Don't Look at Me Like That".

The international women's day was started a century ago by a group of working women in Copenhagen, Denmark. This year is remarkable because it marks the 15th anniversary of Beijing (B+15) conference, which has since become a focal point for women emancipation and gender equality around the globe.