Gender Discrimination: We Can't Be Silent - Minister To Stakeholders

The minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen, has charged the wives of senators and other stakeholders to intensify advocacy on gender-based issues, stressing that women cannot be silent in the country.

Tallen gave the charge on Tuesday while receiving the wives of Nigerian senators who paid a courtesy visit on her office at the ministry's headquarters in Abuja.

According to her, it is imperative to make the lives of women and those of children yet unborn better.

She stressed that the senator's wives have strategic roles  in ensuring that the aim is achieved.

Tallen called on them to be assertive in making their husbands understand better the need to change the ugly treatment of women and girls, adding that if they don't achieve this children will not be proud of them in the future.

"We cannot afford to be silent even as ordinary women. No one can ignore the ills against women.

"Look at the majority of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are women and children, there are IDP camps everywhere because of insecurity, communal clash, unrest which is uncalled for.

"Imagine in this 21st century some communities still practice Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and just recently a beautiful woman was allegedly killed by her husband from domestic violence and we say we have laws?," she queried.

"I commend you for starting this journey. It is not just for ourselves but for our children even yet unborn and if we do not work harder to ensure a better society for them, they will not be happy with us.

 "So, we need to strategise on better ways to address issues affecting us in society.

"It is sad that the wife of the president, Aisha Buhari, made her presence felt at the National Assembly (NASS) when the bill was read yet they refused to sign the bills. 

"You are all representatives of the larger society and you can see the low percentage of women representatives.

"We should all join hands to help push the women agenda forward," the Minister stressed.