Harmful practices against women, girl-child
Enugu traditional rulers commit to ending harmful practices against women, girl-child
[From CHINEDU NWAFOR, Abakaliki]
Enugu State Traditional Rulers have pledged their commitment to ending harmful traditional practices against women and girl child in the society.
The monarchs made the pledge through a communiqué issued on Wednesday under the platform of Enugu Traditional Rulers’ Council which was signed by the chairman of the Council, Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu.
They also assured the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment that qualifies females to have rights to inherit property from their families, whether married or not.
This was the outcome of a one-day Multi Stakeholders Strategic Conference between the Traditional Rulers Council of Enugu State and the WomenAid Collective (WACOL) in partnership with the Ford Foundation, supported by Ministries of Gender Affairs, Chieftancy Matters and Justice and the 50/50 Action Women of Enugu State.
The traditional ruler condemned all forms of Violence against Women and Girls in Enugu State and assured that they would redouble their sensitization against harmful customs, so that communities involved would ensure their abolishment.
“We are already sensitizing our people to get some of these harmful customs abolish. Even though every community have their own tradition and custom but unfortunately these tradition are no longer good in modern community.
“We want to assure that we will continue to advocate them to change these practices in their respective communities. We are committed to eliminating harmful traditional practices eg. marrying out a girl child and abolishment of sacrificing female children to the shrine.
“We are also are committed to respecting the rights of widows and widowers as well as towards actions to codify communal laws and regulations that will protect women and girls which include rejection of harmful traditional widowhood practices, including disinheritance of widows.
“We also support the inclusion of women in decisions affecting them and we encourage women leadership at community level.
“We are committed to mediating in human rights and women’s rights cases in line with state, national, regional and international human rights laws. Subsequently we will have an Enugu state that is free from all forms of violence against women and girls,” the communiqué read in part.
Igwe Agubuzu commended WACOL for its intervention in the fight against violence against women in the State, saying the Traditional Rulers Council will continue to support their efforts.
Professor Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, the founder of WACOL in her remarks, said the aim of the conference was to deliberate on interventions to eliminate violence against women in Enugu state.
The State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, Dr C. O Egumgbe who was represented by his SSA, Bar Chinemelum Onuoha assured that the Ministry would continue to partner the traditional rulers to ensure the eradication of harmful traditional practices and gender biased customary laws against women and girl child in the State.
