Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Mrs Ene Obi has called on government at all levels to evolve measures that would curtail the rising cases of violence against women.
Obi, who made the call in Lokoja at the “2nd Women Summit on Preventing Violent Extremism in Kogi State”, said the promotion of peaceful coexistence and encouragement of women to take leadership positions in various communities would help in preventing violent extremism in the country.
She said there was a higher percentage that the country would attain greater peace when women are entrusted with leadership positions to drive development process.
Represented at the Summit by Mr David Haba, Manager, Humanitarian and Resilience, ActionAid Nigeria, Obi noted that violent extremism was becoming a major challenge for many societies.
She said it was a threat to security and fundamental rights of citizens especially women all over the world.
“It it is true that while women rarely take part in conflicts, they often bear the aftermath of an effects of violence ranging from psychological, emotional and physical loss which continue to occur even after the conflict has ended.”
She held that women were prone to violent extremism saying that of the 970,000 migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean to Europe from violence prone-Middle East, 17 per cent were women and 25 per cent were children.
